NBC Rio Olympics Live Streaming Tops 1 Billion Minutes

12 Aug, 2016 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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NBC’s live streaming for the Rio Olympics topped 1 billion minutes on Aug. 10 — the first time the threshold has ever been crossed for an Olympics. The 1.05 billion minutes of streaming via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app is up 232% from the equivalent day in London. This milestone comes one day after NBCOlympics’ live streaming for the Rio Olympics surpassed the entire London Games.

NBC streamed more than 3,500 hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals, in London. The 2012 Games had no simultaneous live streaming and no competing primetime Olympic cable coverage.

The accomplishment, which underscores in part NBC’s depressed Rio Olympics broadcast ratings, was achieved the day before Simone Manuel’s historic gold medal in swimming, Simone Biles’ commanding win in gymnastics and medal machine Michael Phelps’ unprecedented 22nd gold medal. Phelps also became the first swimmer to win gold in one event in four straight Olympics.

Regardless, NBC primetime TV viewership (28.2 million viewers) and household rating (15.5) through Aug. 10 smashed rival networks ABC (286%) and CBS and Fox combined (210%) — the second-largest Games advantage on record (behind only the London Olympics), according to Nielsen.

Total Olympics audience delivery, which calculates average minute viewing across broadcast, cable, and digital Aug. 6-10: 

Day	Rio 2016	London 2012	Rio 2016	London 2012
1st Sat.	23.5 million	28.7 million	13.0 rating	15.8 rating
1st Sun.	31.8 million	36.0 million	17.3 rating	19.8 rating
1st Mon.	31.5 million	31.6 million	18.1 rating	18.0 rating
1st Tues	36.1 million	38.7 million	20.5 rating	21.8 rating
1st Wed	28.6 million	30.8 million	16.5 rating	17.9 rating

 

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