Despite all the hype about the Olympics being available on digital platforms, broadcast television’s massive reach is dominating the viewership and ratings breakdown.
According to NBC’s Total Audience Measurement Index, or TAMI, television hasn’t sunk below 90% of the viewing audience of Olympic media. The TAMI measures television viewership plus video-on-demand, mobile and online viewing of Olympic content.
Alan Wurtzel, president of research for NBC Universal, said only two-tenths of 1% of the viewing audience is watching the Olympics solely online.
He added that only 10% of the viewing audience is watching the events both online and on television.
NBC contends Olympic online video is booming, with 3.5 million hours of video consumed and nearly 5 million users watching that video within the first five days of the Games. Compared with the 2004 Athens Games, that’s an increase of 812%.
However, Fox and TVBythenumbers.com commented on the fact that that’s still only 210 million minutes viewed. Compared with the 60 billion total minutes of Olympic coverage offered on NBC Universal networks, online is a drop in the bucket.
For every 300 minutes viewed on television, one minute is viewed online, Fox said.
