Team USA live streaming spikes despite no Games

The USOC says live streaming video viewership at teamusa.org grew nearly 150 percent in 2015 even though it was an off year for the Olympics.

During 2015 on teamusa.org, 1.83 million viewers watched 263,985 hours, compared to 739,900 viewers logging 101,560 hours during the Winter Olympic year of 2014, according to the committee.

Live online coverage of competitions has proven to be a valuable audience-development tool for small Olympic sports, said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer. The USOC streamed 39 events this year, compared to 19 the year before. “The idea really is to build the fan base as a real asset for us,” Baird said.