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The 17-day event averaged 15.5 million
primetime viewers on the NBC broadcast network and digital
platforms including the Peacock streaming service, the company
said in a statement. That represented the smallest audience for
the Summer Games since NBC began broadcasting them in 1988.
The total slumped below the 31.1 million viewers who watched the
Summer Olympics in London via TV and online outlets, and 26.7
million who tuned in for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, an
NBC spokesman said.
Comparisons with previous Olympic Games are imperfect given the
different times zones, the pandemic and fewer streaming options
in the past. The Tokyo events, delayed a year due to the global
health crisis, were held without spectators and offered less of
the usual spectacle.
Executives at NBCUniversal have said they expect to turn a
profit despite the ratings declines. The competitions still
pulled in the biggest audiences on television when they aired,
making them attractive showcases for advertisers.
"There is nothing more powerful in media than the 17 straight
days of Olympics dominance," NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua
said in a statement. "Despite being thrown a series of
curveballs over the last 18 months, the power of the Olympics
delivered to audiences across the various platforms of NBCU has
proven itself unequaled."
The company said viewers streamed nearly 6 billion minutes of
Tokyo Olympics programming, a record for an Olympics, across
NBC's digital and social media platforms, the company said.
NBCUniversal aired the Games across two broadcast networks, six
cable networks, and multiple digital platforms including
Peacock. That left some viewers confused and struggling to find
the events they wanted to watch.
Some high-profile athletes were absent from major events. U.S.
superstar gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of five of her six
events, citing concerns for her mental and physical health, and
American sprinter Sha'Karri Richardson was disqualified after
testing positive for marijuana.
The TV ratings drop reflects a trend among live events,
including Hollywood awards shows and sports championships.
NBC owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympics through 2032. The
next games, the Winter Olympics in Beijing, take place in
February 2022.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler, Richard
Pullin and Sonya Hepinstall)
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