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Rio's opening ceremony drew 342 million global viewers, according to the IOC.
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Global viewership for the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics was flat compared with London 2012, said Timo Lumme, the IOC’s managing director of television and marketing, at a press conference today.
Compiling ratings data from dozens of markets is ongoing, but “if you ask me what’s my sort of prognosis on this, I think the global audience is going to be about the same as London, and London did 342 million,” Lumme said.
Despite that lack of growth, IOC officials believe TV ratings of the Games have been “very strong” in the Americas, where time zones are favorable. He said Brazil broadcaster Globo has recorded its highest ratings since the 2014 World Cup.
In the United States, rights holder NBC has struggled with ratings declines, at times substantial, on linear TV over London. Lumme joined the network’s defenders who argue that those declined ratings reflect a shift of eyeballs to streaming platforms.
He estimated that half the world’s population has seen the Games on some platform.
