The International Olympic Committee has said the 2016 summer Olympic Games delivered record-breaking media coverage and “unprecedented” levels of digital engagement.
The 2016 Games concluded in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, with the IOC reporting more media coverage than ever before, with record numbers for television and digital broadcast hours.
Nearly 350,000 total television hours were recorded for Rio 2016, up from fewer than 200,000 hours for London’s 2012 summer Games. More than 500 television channels and in excess of 250 digital platforms covered the Olympics.
The IOC also reported a significant rise in digital coverage compared to London 2012, with 218,000 hours versus 81,500 hours. It added that it anticipates half the world’s population will have watched at least some coverage of the Games, including more than 90 per cent of the television audience in host nation Brazil.
The IOC said that more than nine million hours of content was streamed through its Olympic Video Player service, with as many as one million daily unique viewers for live streaming and on-demand video.
There was also record global engagement on the IOC’s website, Olympic.org. Over 26 million visits to the site represented more than double compared to the figures for London 2012. Record engagement through mobile platforms led to over 70 per cent of website visits through mobile phones or tablets.
The closure of Rio 2016 also coincided with the launch of the IOC’s new Olympic Channel platform. The Olympic Channel is available to a global audience via a mobile app for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.
Premiering at launch was ‘Viva 2016’, an exclusive behind-the-scenes-look at the production of an Olympic Games opening ceremony.