NBC had a lot to cheer about when it came to the 2024 Summer Olympics, especially when it came to not just rebounding ratings and viewership numbers, but also the good vibes and general interest that seemed to be resurrected in Paris. One of the big drivers of that was Peacock, which aired every event live for the first time and featured the acclaimed Gold Zone coverage.
Now we are starting to see the fruits of those efforts and just how much of an impact the Olympics had across the television and streaming landscape.
In their monthly report on viewership habits and trends, Nielsen noted that the 2024 Paris Olympics had a massive effect on Peacock’s streaming numbers, seeing a 33% usage increase over the previous month. It was the largest for any streaming platform. And that comes with most of the Olympic events taking place in August and July just covering the opening stages of the fortnight.
Via Nielsen:
July also ushered in the beginning of the Summer Olympics in Paris, and despite only three days of coverage included in the July Gauge report, the impact the Games had on TV viewing was evident. Total TV usage was up 2.3% in July compared to the previous month, and up 3.5% compared to July 2023. Broadcast viewing increased slightly this month to 20.3% of TV, but was up 5% compared to a year ago. The category also finished 0.3 points higher than July 2023 when it recorded its lowest share ever (20.0% of TV). When TV usage is isolated by week, the start of Olympics coverage in the final week of July pushed the broadcast average up to over 22% of total TV. This is further emphasized by the fact that the Olympics accounted for the top five, and seven of the top 10, broadcast telecasts in the July report, with the largest audience averaging 19 million viewers on NBC on Sunday, July 28.
Peacock’s coverage of the Olympics vaulted the streamer to 1.5% of TV (+0.3 pt.) and its second best share of TV ever (behind 1.6% in Jan. 2024). Also boosted by viewing to Love Island USA, Peacock’s 33% monthly usage increase in July was the largest for any streaming platform in The Gauge. It was followed by two more streamers with double-digit monthly increases: Amazon Prime Video viewing was up 12% from June to notch 3.4% of TV (+0.3 pt.), its best since November 2023. The Roku Channel was up 10% and added 0.1 point to achieve a platform best 1.6% of TV.
It was clear to see that even while the Summer Olympics were happening that the coverage represented a changing of the guard in viewership habits for sports fans and the general public as well. So it’s no surprise that in the Nielsen numbers streaming accumulated its highest ever percentage of viewers at a 41.4% share. This eclipsed last month’s previous record of 40.3%. Given the remaining Olympic viewership numbers will count towards August, those figures could be higher still.
One thing to watch in Nielsen’s report is what happens when the NFL and college football seasons return and those giant audiences return to broadcast television. If there’s significant growth for streaming versus last fall when it hovered between 36-37% of viewership share, it could signal even more movement in that direction in the months to come. And platforms like Peacock will continue to benefit.
[Nielsen]
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