Main character energy

The GIST: The 2024 Paris Olympics have been a return to form for athletes and media companies alike. On Saturday, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach divulged a few key numbers that prove the Games are so back after a post-pandemic slump.

🇺🇸 U.S. viewership: Last Tuesday, NBC shared some record-shattering numbers just four days into the Games: Viewership through that time period was up 77% from Tokyo 2020, while Peacock usage was higher than Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 combined. According to Bach, NBC was averaging 33M viewers across Parisian and American primetime through Friday morning, up 76% from Tokyo.

• Why are these numbers so much higher? Front Office Sports suggested that the network’s expanded coverage, its advertising lead-up to the Games, and the popularity of breakout Team USA heroes like (friends of The GIST) Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik might all be contributing. Long live pommel horse guy.

🌍 International viewership: According to Bach, European Olympic rights holder Warner Bros. Discovery exceeded Tokyo’s total unique streaming viewers after just two (!!!) days in Paris. And in host nation France, the opening ceremony enjoyed an 83.3% audience share, while 82.7% of Japan’s total audience watched at least one minute of Paris 2024 programming through August 1st.

• Bach expects that by the time the Games wrap on August 11th, at least half of the world’s 8B population will have tuned into Paris 2024 or engaged with Olympic content on social media.

📱 Social media impact: The Games are definitely trending on social, garnering over 40% of Tokyo’s total social media engagements just one week in (8.5B). This is likely thanks to TikTok’s meteoric rise since 2021 and the population growth of young viewers, which NBC catered to by credentialing 27 social media influencers for the Games.

• Another factor? Celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, and Flavor Flav have generated meaningful (and viral!) moments with their heartwarming support of athletes.

The takeaway: The Olympics have always been about heroic storytelling on linear TV, but now, global media brands are learning to sell those stories in the digital age thanks to streaming, constant coverage, and bite-sized clips — not to mention leaning into social media heroes. Giving main character energy.