“With the ubiquity of broadband and the breadth of available content — combined with the time difference between the U.S. and Beijing — this truly is the first online video Olympics,” commented Jon Gibs, vice president, media analytics, Nielsen Online. Considering four years ago in Athens that YouTube and streaming video on the Internet were just coming on the scene, and live video was still incredibly hard to do, the leaps and bounds the Internet has taken thanks to increasing broadband speeds is simply amazing. I wonder if U.S. gymnast Kerri Strug ever thought this was possible when she stuck her landing n the 1996 Olympics! (I bet at a minimum she likes the video on YouTube).
With the 2008 Olympics underway, NBC has released numbers that show viewers are turning to NBC’s online video content to watch live events and even see replays of their favorite moments. According to president of research for NBC Universal Alan Wurtzel, as quoted in TV Week, “the Internet and other platforms are helping to drive viewership to levels that may challenge records set during the 1992 Atlanta Olympics.”
Viewership peaked Sunday, when 107.3 million people tuned in. That day, there were also 5.1 million people looking at Olympic content online. Michael Phelps’ gold medal count is helping with viewership. According to Wurtzel, the most popular piece of video content was the 4×100 men’s swimming relay won by the U.S. team. That race was seen by 81 million people on TV and then another 1.7 million-plus via video stream. He said 1.5 million video streams were shared. All tallied, NBCU is stating that 6% of Olympic viewing is taking place on alternative platforms.
Mobile broadband also is coming into play as fans seek a real-time connection to the Olympic action. “To some extent, these Olympics are staring to influence how people use new technology,” Wurtzel explained to Ad Age, adding that “about half of people who use mobile [to watch NBC Olympics content] are using it for the first time.”
We talk all the time on NextGenWeb about how broadband is improving health care and the environment and its importance to keeping America’s economy strong and competitive in a global economy. But now is a time to sit back and enjoy another competitive aspect– the Olympics. Broadband is delivering important entertainment values to users proudly watching our athletes compete. It’s yet another example of why we need to maintain an environment conducive to its rapid deployment and work keep the top spot on the podium.
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August 17th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
[...] bookmarks tagged comprehensiveDont Miss Out On How to run your car on water It Can Change Your Life Caught Up In (and Connected to) The Olympic Moment saved by 3 others kalel1970 bookmarked on 08/17/08 | [...]