The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were watched by more than 30 million viewers in the U.S., marking an increase from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
A poll of Benzinga readers shows that investors might not be as interested in the sporting spectacle as other fans around the world were.
What Happened: Media company Comcast Corporation CMCSA received a boost in viewership for the 2024 Summer Olympics and may also realize a boost in subscribers for its Peacock streaming platform thanks to the Olympics.
Benzinga readers were asked about how much of the 2024 Summer Olympics they watched and the results could come as a surprise based on the 30.6 million U.S. viewers figure Comcast recently reported.
The results were:
- Yes, watched several events: 39%
- Yes, watched extensively: 10%
- No, didn’t watch at all: 51%
For those who did watch the 2024 Summer Olympics, a few athletes stood out for their performance.
“Which athlete was the most compelling to watch at the 2024 Summer Olympics?” Benzinga asked.
The results were:
- Simone Biles: 38%
- Caleb Dressel: 7%
- Noah Lyles: 5%
- Stephen Curry: 21%
- Other: 29%
Biles won three gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Olympics, adding to her totals from past Olympics and breaking several records for American gymnasts along the way.
Curry competed in his first Olympic games and helped Team USA Basketball win a gold medal and go undefeated in Paris.
Dressel won two golds and one silver medal, with his two golds coming from swimming relays. The swimmer underperformed in several of his top events.
Lyles won the gold in the 100 meters becoming the fastest man in the world, while winning a bronze medal in the 200 meters.
Here are some of the names listed for the Other option:
- Imane Khelif: Algerian boxer, gold medalist, subject of controversy and filed a cyberbullying lawsuit against Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling
- Cole Hockey: American runner who won the 1500 meter event in a big upset
- Neeraj Chopra: Indian athlete won silver in the Javelin throw
- Novak Djokovic: Tennis star added a gold medal for Serbia to his list of accomplishments, marking his first Olympic gold
- Sydney McLaughlin Levrone: American track star won two gold medals for the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400m relay, setting a new world record in her signature hurdles event
- Aleksandra Miroslaw: Polish speed climber won a gold medal and broke her own world record
- Carlos Yulo: Gymnast from Philippines won two gold medals for floor exercise and vault
Why It’s Important: Comcast provided over 7,000 hours of coverage across its NBC network and streaming platforms during the Summer Olympics. A total of 23.5 billion minutes of Olympics coverage were streamed during the games.
Benzinga readers shared the ways that they watched the weeks of Olympics coverage from Comcast.
How did you prefer to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics?” Benzinga asked.
Live broadcast on TV: 35%
Streaming online at my convenience: 18%
Highlights and recaps on social media: 15%
Avoided all Olympic coverage: 32%
All-time streaming records for the Olympics were shattered with Peacock streaming all medal events and providing tons of coverage options for viewers like multiview and Gold Zone.
Based on the results of the survey, viewers preferred to watch live events either on TV or streaming, which could provide a mixed benefit to Peacock subscriber figures.
The next quarterly report from Comcast will be a key event for the media company as it will include the impact of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The study was conducted by Benzinga on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, 2024, and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 116 adults.
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