Women's Football Draws Strong TV Ratings On First Day Of Olympics Competition

Team GB's women's football win in the first event of the London Games on Wednesday peaked with 2.5 million viewers on BBC1, according to John Plunkett of the London GUARDIAN. It did take "a bit of time for the audience to build up," beginning with 1.3 million viewers at kick-off and ending with 2.5 million. The BBC's coverage between 3:30pm GMT and 6pm GMT averaged 1.6 million viewers, a 17.5% share. BBC3's Olympics football coverage, which featured highlights of the GB game and second half of Brazil's 5-0 win over Cameroon, had 350,000 viewers (1.9%) between 7pm GMT and 9pm GMT. BBC1's Olympic drama "Bert and Dickie," starring "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith, was watched by 3.2 million viewers, a 14.8% share, between 8:30pm GMT and 10pm GMT. ITV "hitched a ride" on the Olympics bandwagon with Britain's Greatest Gold Medalists, watched by 2.5 million viewers (12.7%) between 8pm GMT and 9pm GMT (GUARDIAN, 7/26).

ON THE AIR: The KOREAN HERALD reported that a non-government organization dealing with Olympic broadcasting rights for North Korea said Thursday that "it will allow the North to air the int'l sports events across the country." The decision came after South Korea's public broadcaster KBS President and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Chief Kim In-kyu returned from a three-day visit to the North over the broadcasting issue. Kim "struck an agreement with the North's Radio and Television Broadcasting Committee" under which the organization will provide the North with support to produce and broadcast TV programs on the events while the North pays for the rights. How much the North will pay "was not revealed" (KOREAN HERALD, 7/26).

THAT'S A WRAP: In London, Mark Sweney reported that Olympic TOP sponsor adidas has struck a £2.3M ($3.5M) deal to run cover wraps around freesheet Metro every day of London Games, making it "the largest newspaper advertising deal of the 2012 Games." Adidas said that the "deal marks its biggest ever print ad campaign." The deal will see collectable cover wraps of Team GB athletes run on the 17 days of the main Olympic Games, beginning on Friday. Adidas has used an artist or illustrator to create images of athletes including Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and Tom Daley, each of which has been timed to appear on a day when the respective athlete is competing (GUARDIAN, 7/26).

OVERCROWDING: BILD reported that the two German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF "will send a total of 400 employees to London to cover the 302 decisions in all 26 sports." That means there will be more German television workers at the Olympics than German athletes, which total 392. ARD and ZDF "spend" about €10M ($12.3M) each to produce and deliver the Olympics to its German audience (BILD, 7/26).