NBC Says People Are Watching 2012 Olympics Online

This from NBC. The other day, the network held a media conference call which I monitored. Besides the fact that the ratings increased was a top subject for NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus, online viewing was also discussed. Needless to say, online viewing on NBCOlympics.com and through the mobile/tablet apps have increased big time from Beijing. Considering that just a handful of sports was streamed online in 2008 and just through computers, the viewing has really opened up this year.

Online viewing has jumped 182% from four years ago. NBC says people watched 34 million live streams, up 333% compared to Beijing. Plus the page views for NBCOlympics.com are way up from Beijing.

As we’re in a digital age, people want their information now and with so many platforms to access, it’s only natural for the numbers to increase exponentially from four years ago.

Here are the astonishing numbers from NBC.

NBC OLYMPICS’ EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED DIGITAL TRAFFIC & ENGAGEMENT DURING LONDON OLYMPICS

75 Million Total Videos Streamed, Up 182% vs. Beijing in 2008
34 Million Live Streams, Up 333% vs. Beijing
744 Million Page Views, Up 160 Million from Beijing
NBC Olympics Live Extra & NBC Olympics apps Peaked at No. 1 & 2 as Top Free Apps for iPhone & iPad on App Store
6.2 Million Devices Verified by Cable, Satellite and Telco Customers

LONDON – August 3, 2012 – NBC Olympics’ digital coverage of the Games of the XXX Olympiad is generating unprecedented traffic and engagement across its digital platforms NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics Live Extra and NBC Olympics apps.

Across the online, mobile and tablet platforms, there have been 75 million total video streams, 34 million live streams (already more than the entire Beijing Olympics), 744 million page views, and 31.5 million unique users (web only). There have also been more than six million downloads of the NBC Olympics Live Extra and NBC Olympics apps, peaking at No. 1 and No. 2 as the Top Free apps for iPhone and iPad on App Store.

Cable, satellite, and telco customers have verified 6.2 million devices either on NBCOlympics.com or on the NBC Olympics Live Extra app. This is believed to be the most device verifications ever for a single event in TV Everywhere history. There are approximately 100 million multi-channel homes in the U.S.

Five Olympic events so far have surpassed one million live streams led by Tuesday’s women’s gymnastics team gold medal final (1,462,834) that saw Team USA win gold. Thursday produced two events over one million when Michael Phelps defeated the field, including Ryan Lochte, to win gold in the men’s 200 IM (1,192,812), and Gabby Douglas won the women’s All-Around gold medal (1,096,319). The top five is rounded out by Monday’s men’s gymnastics team gold medal final (1,067,679) and Tuesday’s swimming gold medal final that saw Michael Phelps become the most-decorated Olympian of all time (1,010,416). Four of the five (yesterday’s swimming final being the exception) were streamed only to cable, satellite and telco customers who verified their accounts.

“We believed heading into these Games that if we could surround the consumer with as many touch points as possible — such as live streaming every athletic competition online, on mobile and on tablet — then we could increase consumption and engagement, not only on digital, but on television as well,” said Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics. “The result has been record-setting viewership, traffic and engagement on all of our platforms. We could not be more satisfied and are looking forward to continuing to extend access to these incredible Games on multiple screens.”

Following are highlights of NBC Olympics’ digital coverage of the 2012 London Olympics (through August 2):

TV EVERYWHERE

  • Cable, satellite, and telco customers have verified 6.2 million devices either on NBCOlympics.com or on the NBC Olympics Live Extraapp.
    • This is believed to be the most device verifications ever for a single event in TV Everywhere history.
    • There are approximately 100 million multi-channel homes in the U.S.

TOTAL VIDEO STREAMS

  • 75.0 million, 182% more than Beijing (26.5 million) through the same period
    • For entire Beijing Games: 75.5 million total streams
  • 9.6 million hours of total video streamed, 129% more than Beijing (4.2 million) through the same period
    • For entire Beijing Games: 9.9 million hours of video streamed

LIVE VIDEO STREAMS

  • 34.0 million, 333% more than Beijing (7.9 million streams)
    • London has already surpassed Beijing
      • For entire Beijing Games: 14 million
  • 6.3 million hours of live video has been streamed, 355% more than Beijing (1.4 million hours) through the same period
    • London has already surpassed Beijing
      • For entire Beijing: 4.0 million hours
  • Users are averaging 85 streaming minutes on the web and 58 minutes on the app

UNIQUE USERS

London 2012 Beijing 2008
NBCOlympics.com computer 31.5 million 29.1 million
NBCOlympics.com mobile website 5.2 million 2.8 million
NBC Olympics Live Extra app 7.0 million NA
NBC Olympics app 2.7 million NA

PAGE VIEWS

  • 743.7 million across NBCOlympics.com on computer, mobile and tablet, and both apps, 160 million more than Beijing to this point in the Games (583.1 million)

MOST-WATCHED OLYMPIC LIVE STREAMS

(All were streamed only to cable, satellite and telco customers who verified their accounts, except Michael Phelps’ 200IM gold medal victory on Aug. 2, 2012)

LIVE
DATE GAMES VIDEO CLIP VIDEO SPORT STREAMS
July 31, 2012 London Team USA Women’s Gymnastics wins Gold Gymnastics 1,462,834
August 2, 2012 London Michael Phelps wins 200IM Gold Swimming 1,192,812
August 2, 2012 London Gabby Douglas wins Women’s All-Around Gold Gymnastics 1,096,319
July 30, 2012 London Men’s Gymnastics Team Gold Medal Final Gymnastics 1,067,679
July 31, 2012 London Team USA Men’s Swimming wins 4×200 Gold Swimming 1,010,416
July 28, 2012 London Ryan Lochte wins 400IM Gold Swimming 891,819
July 29, 2012 London Team USA Men’s Swimming earns 4×100 Silver Swimming 823,194
July 29, 2012 London Team USA Women’s Gymnastics Qualifications Gymnastics 688,752
August 1, 2012 London Men’s Gymnastics All-Around Gold Medal Final Gymnastics 610,335
August 22, 2008 Beijing USA Men’s Basketball Semifinal Basketball 581,882

One more press release from NBC coming up.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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