Posted on 08/10/2021 5:44:54 PM PDT by blam
It looks like yet another instance of “get woke, go broke” for NBC and the Tokyo Olympics.
Ratings for the Olympics have been so poor this year that NBC is being forced to hand out “extra commercials” for those who bought advertising during the games, according to Fox News.
Experts have pointed to backlash over protesting the U.S. flag and “woke” athletes as the key reason why ratings are down.
The ratings dropoff is stunning. Per Fox News:
NBC’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on July 26 averaged 14.7 million viewers — for a 49% drop compared to the equivalent night from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and 53% less than the 2012 London Olympics. The opening ceremonies saw their lowest viewership since 1988.
The plunge in ratings has caused “advertiser anxiety” from companies who feel as though they aren’t getting enough bang for their marketing buck. The early exits of gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka didn’t help rating, the report wrote.
One media exec said the ratings “clearly are not what NBC, our agency or our clients were looking for”.
Andy Billings, director of the sports communications program at the University of Alabama commented: “When you look at the numbers, it’s hard to be pleased with them. It’s probably NBC’s worst-case scenario, but it’s probably a worst-case scenario that they would have been able to predict months ago.”
The protests of the flag “have done little to attract new viewers while alienating Republican spectators,” Fox News wrote.
Monmouth University polling found last week that 33% less American viewers were interested in the games.
Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, concluded: “The delay from last year and lack of spectators have taken the edge off the typical anticipation and excitement for this event. But the emergence of Black Lives Matter in the sports world has also led to a backlash among some Americans.”
Gee, I wonder why that happened?
Nobody was woke at the golf - a very exciting contest. They’re all conservatives anyway.
Go woke, go broke.
Its NBC’s own fault. Instead of burying or ignoring Megan Rapinoe, they highlight her. 99% of the American Olympic athletes appeared to be thrilled to represent their country. But what they show us is the ungrateful hag.
I’m not getting any surveys about how biden is doing, but I am getting a lot of surveys about why i’m not watching the olympics and why i’m not getting the vaccine. This is too ridiculous.
That being said, it couldn't have happened to a better bunch at NBC/MSNBC/Comcast.
Give the next Olympics to OANN.
Bread and circuses, thats why
Maybe they wanted to recreate the Subway Series by having a Subway Olympics.
I didn’t watch at all except for a few minutes of beach volleyball to check form.
What was the ratings for the closing ceremony? Anybody know?
Ping Pong tournament might help.
Yes. Tokyo being 13 hours ahead of New York doesn’t help plus the gymnastics competition, the most popular olympic sport among casual television viewers, wasn’t shown live on NBC but was tape delayed into primetime hours on the east coast. That may be the biggest factor. But what the women’s soccer team did wouldn’t help the ratings.
The NFL needs to hire these analysts
NFL you’re up!
From 8 pm - 11 pm, NBC averaged 8.8 million total viewers and a 1.56 rating in the 18 - 49 years old demo for live plus same day ratings for the closing ceremony coverage. The 2016 Rio Olympics gave NBC a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 years old demo and 16.8 million total viewers for live plus same day ratings for its closing ceremony. What a big drop off in 5 years.
Be fair, Rio’s time zone was much more compatible with showing events live in Prime Time, than Tokyo.
Only took watching the promos to decide not to watch! And the peek I took showed it to be as oddball as the opening ceremony!
I agree with you. The woke crap was the nail in the coffin.
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