Los Angeles: US viewership for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo nearly halved in 2012 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released by Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal on Monday.
The 17-day event had an average of 15.5 million primetime viewers across digital platforms, including the NBC broadcast network and the Peacock streaming service, the company said in a statement. This represented the smallest audience for the Summer Games since NBC began airing them in 1988.
An NBC spokesperson said 31.1 million viewers watched the Summer Olympics in London via TV and online outlets and 26.7 million for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The comparison to the previous Olympic Games is incomplete given the different time zones, the pandemic, and fewer streaming options in the past. Tokyo events were held without spectators and presented less of the usual spectacle, delayed by a year due to the global health crisis.
NBCUniversal executives have said that they expect profit despite the rating downgrade. Contests still attracted the largest audiences on television when they aired, making them an attractive showcase for advertisers.
“Nothing is more powerful than the media for 17 consecutive days of the Olympics. Despite many curveballs being thrown over the past 18 months, the power of the Olympics has been brought to the audience,” NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. NBCU has proven itself to be unmatched across various platforms.”
The company said viewers streamed nearly 6 billion minutes of Tokyo Olympic programming, a record for an Olympics, on NBC’s digital and social media platforms.
NBCUniversal broadcast the games across two broadcast networks, six cable networks and multiple digital platforms including Peacock. This left some viewers confused and struggling to find the events they wanted to watch.
Some high-profile athletes were absent from major events. American superstar gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from five of her six events citing concerns for her mental and physical health, and American sprinter Shakari Richardson was disqualified after testing positive for marijuana.
The decline in TV ratings reflects a trend among live events including Hollywood award shows and sports championships.
NBC has US media rights for the Olympics until 2032. The next Games, the Winter Olympics in Beijing, will be held in February 2022.
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