Discovery says it is seeing record-breaking viewing numbers during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The company says almost three-quarters of a billion streaming minutes of Olympics content has been consumed on Discovery Plus and Eurosport subscription services during the first week, nearly 18 times more than by the same stage of the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.
The broadcaster has also reported increases in linear viewing, particularly in the Nordic markets where the Games are available on Discovery’s FTA channels. It says it has recorded audience shares of 78 per cent in Norway (Handball, Spain vs. Norway); 67 per cent in Sweden (Football, Sweden vs. Australia); and 60 per cent in Sweden (Swimming).
Across the broadcaster’s FTA, pay-TV and direct-to-consumer/digital offerings, Discovery says more than 275 million viewers have watched the Games so far. It adds that over 100 million of those viewers have watched through Discovery’s coverage on TV and digital, and an additional 175 million more have watched the Games through its sublicence agreements with partner free-to-air broadcasters around Europe.
Discovery is presenting Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 50 markets in Europe featuring 11 national productions and coverage in 19 languages.
Andrew Georgiou, president of Sports, Discovery, said: “It is fantastic to see our coverage and the stories we’re telling resonate so strongly with audiences throughout Europe. Whether through record digital engagement on Discovery’s platforms or large audience share on our networks, it is clear these Games are having a big impact.”
