Discovery breaks digital engagement records and grows reach in Europe with Tokyo Olympics coverage
Fireworks go off around the Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images
Discovery’s approach of providing broad access on free-to-air and pay-TV while delivering all the action on digital has seen it continue to grow its European audiences for the Olympic Games. It recorded record digital engagement with almost three times more people signing up to Discovery’s subscription services compared to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.
More than 372 million people watched the action from Tokyo 2020 in Europe, more than 10% up on PyeongChang 2018. Over 175 million of those viewed Discovery’s coverage on TV and digital, 13 times more than PyeongChang 2018. Almost 200 million additional people watched through partner broadcasters with whom Discovery agreed sub-licence agreements, including 45 free-to-air national broadcasters throughout Europe.
Already dubbed the first streaming Olympics, 1.3 billion minutes of Olympics content has been consumed across Discovery’s digital platforms led by discovery+ and Eurosport subscription services. This is 21 times more minutes compared to PyeongChang 2018, Discovery’s previous Olympic Games, as on average viewers consumed 60% more minutes per user for Tokyo 2020.
Despite the local time zone meaning no traditional evening prime time viewing in Europe, large linear TV audience shares were seen across the Nordic markets where Discovery presented the Games on its free-to-air networks. Shares as high as 86% were recorded during the Games, with shares of more than 80% recorded in Norway and Sweden throughout the Olympics. Shares across the Eurosport pay-TV network improved by 42% compared to PyeongChang 2018.
Jean-Briac Perrette, president & CEO, Discovery International, said: “From the beginning of our partnership with the International Olympic Committee in 2015, Discovery committed to growing the Olympics audience in Europe and engaging new people with the Games. Despite significant challenges brought on by the pandemic, we have now delivered on this ambition with record breaking reach and bringing new audiences to the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, achieved together with over 45 sub-licence partners that Discovery has brought on-board. I particularly want to thank our brilliant team that worked tirelessly in unprecedented conditions, and with our great partners the IOC and OBS, to bring these Games so successfully to our audiences across Europe.”
Andrew Georgiou, president of sports, Discovery, said: “Tokyo 2020 was a truly unique Olympics and it was a privilege for Discovery to bring the Games to people throughout Europe as well as in record numbers on digital platforms. Discovery’s unrivalled expertise in sports storytelling, both on and off the field of play, entertained and delighted audiences across all our platforms.
“Growing audiences and engagement through sport is something we do best, particularly as we see the success of leveraging a mass-appeal platform in discovery+ to bring in new and different consumers. We’re already well into our planning for Beijing 2022, less than six months away, and the handover to Paris during the Closing Ceremony brought to life the outstanding opportunity that a Games in our own backyard will bring.”
The free Eurosport.com service and its multiple local market versions continued to see record-breaking daily audiences throughout the Games, delivering three-times higher reach than PyeongChang 2018. More than 47 million unique visitors followed Eurosport’s Olympic coverage during the 17-day period of the Olympics, resulting in page views and video starts more than doubling compared to the previous Winter Games.
Discovery presented the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 50 markets in Europe featuring 11 national productions and coverage in 19 languages.