Olympics 2021: Trying to watch is a game in and of itself

Pulling off the 2021 Olympic broadcast is like competing in Olympic water polo with weights around your ankles. Okay, maybe it’s just like Olympic water polo. So far, the Tokyo Olympics have dealt with Covid-19 delays, zero fans in the stands, and less Simone Biles—and ratings have looked dismal:

• Over the first four nights of the Games, viewership was down 43% compared to 2016’s Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to Sportico.

“We have had some bad luck,” said NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell during Comcast’s Q2 earnings call, noting that, despite the negativity, the Games would still be profitable.

But, but, but: Ratings are down everywhere. Just look at the Super Bowl. According to NBC, the first five nights of the Games delivered “five of the top 17 prime time audiences of the year” on traditional TV.

A media buyer with whom Marketing Brew spoke on background, citing sensitive discussions between buyers and networks, said even though Olympics ratings are worse than expected, the Games are still attracting the most 👀. “We were expecting to see a 25%–30% decline in audiences. The [declines] have been significantly higher than that,” they said. “The reality is, NBC still dominates the share of viewing. It may be lower, but in the context of everything, the Olympics are still the number one programming on television.”

Stream it

Viewers rooting for Katie Ledecky might’ve had a hard time finding her. One of the problems emerging during the Games (besides playing in a pandemic) is that NBC’s streaming platforms have been...confusing to navigate.

Outside of NBC’s linear broadcast, this was supposed to be a big month for the network’s Peacock streaming service and NBC Sports app, each broadcasting the live competitions. But because of time-zone difficulties, most of the events aren’t live, and some that are live are hidden behind a paywall.

• If you want to watch the US men’s basketball team (the team with the famous people), for instance, you have to upgrade to Peacock Premium ($4.99/month), per Slate.

“NBC has botched the ease of navigation. The discovery part of the Olympics, it’s very clunky,” the media buyer said. “It’s very confusing for viewers to find what they want. They botched it.”—RB