Time change, pandemic and time different all contribute to NBC’s steep drop in viewers
The opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics at the Olympic Stadium, July 23, 2021. The pandemic-era Tokyo Olympics began on NBC, with an uneasy balance of news and sports, along with reminders that this is big business.and follow all of the news, features and opinion in the lead-up to the Summer Games in Tokyo.
Friday’s audience reflects a steep drop, despite difficult comparisons with previous opening ceremonies when viewers had fewer streaming options. The Rio, London, Barcelona and Seoul numbers reflect final ratings data not yet available for the Tokyo Games opener. In its prime time coverage, NBC acknowledged the pandemic and its toll while presenting the Olympics as a positive event.
The company plans to air an “unprecedented” 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across its multiple television networks and Peacock. These include some of the most anticipated events, such as gymnastics and U.S. Men’s basketball, on the streaming platform. It will also stream over 5,500 hours of the Olympics on NBCOlympics.com and its sports app.
NBCUniversal, which paid $7.65 billion to extend its U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics through 2032, is framing the games as a “healing” event, despite skepticism from many Japanese citizens about the wisdom of holding even a scaled-down Games during a pandemic.
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