Peacock's Olympics success on CTV

✅🖥️ The Wrap (9/17): “The global sporting event also benefitted Peacock with a total viewership share increase of 39% month-over-month and nearly double the amount of viewers ages 35-49. The streamer finished the month with a total 2.1% share of TV viewing for the month — a platform-best and up from 1.5% in the previous month, making it the third service this year to record a 0.5 point share increase or more on a monthly basis. Across all of NBC’s Olympics telecasts that aired during the August interval, 32 of them totaled more than 5MM viewers, and 17 garnered more than 10MM viewers. Olympics telecasts on NBC notched the Top 19 broadcast telecasts of the month, with the primetime presentation of the Women’s Gymnastics Team Final topping the charts with 17.9MM viewers. Total TV usage levels were even with July, though a year-over-year comparison revealed a larger imbalance as usage for the month was up 3.5% versus August 2023. A notable year-over-year difference was also evident among broadcast program genres, with broadcast sports program viewership up 239% over August 2023, further illustrating the impact of the Olympics on the overall TV landscape. When looking at streaming as a whole, the category has gained 2.7 points since August 2023 and is up 11% year-over-year with a total share of 41%, though the month was slow overall for new original content.” ⬇️ #nielsengauge #streaming #ctv #ott #fast #avod #olympics https://lnkd.in/eH-FjyxZ

This year's WNBA tv/streaming schedule is a time machine into the future of what "television" is going to look like when the current rights deals for sports, awards shows and scripted TV sunset. -- Mix of broadcast, cable, subscription streaming, FAST channels and live broadcasts on Meta -- Shared broadcast rights for some games on both RSNs and subscription streaming services -- League pass (via subscription) for all out of market games Here's how the WNBA tried to sum it up as succinctly as possible: "The television and streaming schedule for the league’s 28th season features matchups across ESPN platforms (25 games, including nine on ABC, 14 on ESPN and two on ESPN2), CBS Television Network/Paramount+ (eight), CBS Sports Network (12), ION (43), NBA TV (40) and Prime Video (21). Additional information will be made available regarding Meta’s 20-game broadcast schedule and the schedule for other distributors." "In addition, ESPN platforms ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 – now in their 28th year of WNBA coverage – will broadcast every game of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google, which will feature up to 27 games, including the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV."

Interesting that the "new kid on the block" -- that is, streaming -- is now looking more and more like and going after the very same things that define traditional broadcast TV. Broadcast stalwarts such as large audiences (and the reliance on ratings), NFL, pro sports, the same seasonal specials that aired annually on broadcast TV, etc., etc., are now being pursued and acquired by the streaming industry. And with the monthly cost of streaming and associated "bundling" of programming services looking increasingly a lot like cable TV, one could say it ultimately appears the industry is simply swapping out one distribution system for another. With some communications companies focusing on streaming by spinning off their cable networks but retaining their broadcast networks in terms of reach, it appears what's old is new again. Interesting times!

Despite the rise of streaming, traditional TV remains the dominant platform for the Paris Summer Olympics, with NBC and USA Network capturing 86% of the audience. NBCU’s platforms are averaging 33 million viewers daily, significantly higher than the COVID-impacted Tokyo Games. Peacock also contributes, with 4.5 million daily viewers. This success, driven by prime-time and live afternoon coverage, mirrors pre-pandemic numbers and highlights TV’s enduring appeal. The Paris Games’ strong viewership bodes well for future Olympics, especially with upcoming events in Los Angeles and Milan. Sportico has more. https://bit.ly/3AiBJA4 #TopTakes #Olympics #MediaTrends #TraditionalTV

Gold for both Peacock and NBC (revised based on a comment below). 🥇 Not only did Peacock's viewership share jump 39%, from 1.5% in July to 2.1% in Aug, but it nearly 2x the amount of viewers aged 35-49, according to Nielsen (remember, this is across ALL broadcast, cable, streaming). And considering the CPMs (The Trading Desk's price floor was a $60 cpm, per Adweek), this surge in viewership means a lot of loot. Here is a look at the staggering viewership numbers for this Olympics: https://lnkd.in/gvVH53Yt 🥇 Moreover, the 2024 Summer Games was a big driver of overall broadcast viewership, which popped from 20.4% of all viewership in Aug 23 to 22% this year. Naturally, broadcast sports program viewership was up 239% over August 2023. The natural question becomes.... how likely are these folks to stick around? Well, research firm Antenna observed 2.8M sign-ups to Peacock between July 25 and July 31, a 5.6x increase to their 8 week benchmark.  This falls short of the 3M new subs for the Chief-Dolphins wild card debacle of a game in January. Yet, 71% of those Chiefs/Dolphins subscribers stuck around on the service at the end of Feb. Obv, the sustainable subscriber numbers will likely depend on the viewership and programming but for a service that’s been stuck at the back of the bus, I think it's worth throwing some shine their way.

Despite the rise of streaming, traditional TV remains the dominant platform for the Paris Summer Olympics, with NBC and USA Network capturing 86% of the audience. NBCU’s platforms are averaging 33 million viewers daily, significantly higher than the COVID-impacted Tokyo Games. Peacock also contributes, with 4.5 million daily viewers. This success, driven by prime-time and live afternoon coverage, mirrors pre-pandemic numbers and highlights TV’s enduring appeal. The Paris Games’ strong viewership bodes well for future Olympics, especially with upcoming events in Los Angeles and Milan. Sportico has more. https://bit.ly/3AiBJA4 #TopTakes #Olympics #MediaTrends #TraditionalTV

It's Tracker Tuesday! With sports streaming becoming increasingly fragmented, consumers are frustrated. In a recent Deloitte survey of sports fans, 30% said they paid for a subscription service to watch a sporting event but nearly half said they had missed a game because they didn’t have the right streaming service; 44% said they had to subscribe to too many services to watch sports; 59% said they would pay extra for a streaming video service that had all of the sports they want to watch in one place (70% for Gen Z; 80% for Millennials). #SportsStreaming #OpenVault #TrackerTuesday #broadbandindustryanalytics

Want to reach a young, highly engaged audience in 2025? Live sports streaming is where you'll find it. With an average viewer age of 39, football streaming audiences are significantly younger than traditional TV viewers (which average 45-65 years old). 📊 This younger audience isn’t just watching – they’re actively engaging. With 51% of viewers aged between 18 and 39, live sports streaming is the ideal platform for brands to connect with a tech-savvy, high-income demographic. 💻💡 It's about reaching the right people, at the right time. Aligning your brand with a dynamic audience should be part of your strategy in 2025.

Last month I posted about YouTube being the first #streaming platform to crack double digit market share in Neilsen Company ratings in July, two months before the start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. They did it again last month, and actually grew their market share month over month. But they weren’t #1 NBCUniversal was, with an asterisk. Their 13.4% share was the best on record to date, but only because of the Democratic National Committee convention and the International Olympic Committee – IOC games both occuring, two events that only happen every four years. I have a feeling next month, when these events aren’t taking place, and the regular football season is, we will see a reversal of fortunes here. Will YouTube beat 13.4% next month? Time will tell. #streamingwars #newworldorder #theonlyconstantischange https://lnkd.in/gbeiM_zn

Just how important is “television”? Traditional LOCAL BROADCAST TV remains the primary and preferred medium for viewers to watch sports. As you plan for the Paris Olympic Games, consider allocating your advertising budget wisely to the most effective platforms and networks.