NBC Sports Group CMO John Miller believes the '16 Rio Games "can do at least as well" in the ratings as the '12 London Games, according to Rachel Cohen of the AP. With the event taking place just one hour ahead of Eastern Time, many high-profile competitions "can air live in prime time in the U.S. -- unlike London." NBC Sports Exec VP/Sales & Sales Marketing Seth Winter, who yesterday noted NBC is on pace to eclipse the $1B mark in ad sales, said, "There is not a single person that is not enthusiastic about these games because they saw how well we did and what we delivered in London, and the enthusiasm of ... live games." Cohen notes with so many different events taking place at all hours of the day and night, the Olympics have "proven a perfect fit for streaming video, which has boosted interest" in the Games. The constant action also means the Olympics "can dominate social media, and Miller believes that explains the increased attention from hard-to-reach younger fans." The current climate of instant updates on Twitter would seem to "make tape-delayed prime-time Olympic broadcasts obsolete." Instead, millions of Americans are "still willing to watch even when they know what happened -- though that will be less of a factor in Rio." Most sports ratings have also "held up better than other entertainment on television in an era of multiplying options and niche programming." The Olympics "remain popular even though they have as much in common with prime-time dramas as with other sports." Miller: "Most actual human beings watch the Olympics because they provide more than just competition" (AP, 8/5).
OUT OF OFFICE: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Marisa Guthrie noted as with the London Olympics, every event from Rio "will be streamed live" by NBC. Winter predicts “an enormous amount" of daytime streaming. He said, “I expect office productivity will abate significantly during these Games because you're going to see a lot of live events during the day, and people will be watching on their desktops" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/4).
CATCHING OLYMPIC FEVER: NBC's "Today" show this morning heavily promoted the year-out mark for the Rio Games, and co-host Matt Lauer noted the show "turned our plaza into Team USA Central." Many former and prospective future Olympians appeared on the show, including beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings, golfer Cristie Kerr, weightlifters Morghan King and Kendrick Farris, track & field athletes Sanya Richards-Ross, David Oliver and Erik Kynard and Paralympian Tatyana McFadden. Kerr said making the first U.S. Olympic golf team since 1904 would be the "highlight of my career," and McFadden gave NBC's Tamron Hall instruction on how to compete in the wheelchair race. Table tennis players Jimmy Butler and Lily Zhang played doubles with Lauer and the net's Savannah Guthrie (“Today,” NBC, 8/5).
