OLYMPIC GAMES DRIVES RECORD ENGAGEMENT ON DISCOVERY’S DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND STRONG LINEAR SHARE GAINS

LONDON – August 03, 2021 – The opening week of the Olympic Games saw record numbers visit Discovery’s digital platforms in Europe* to enjoy every unmissable moment of Tokyo 2020. The desire of viewers to personalise their experience, by choosing to watch any of their national heroes or favourite sports, has seen new digital subscriptions in the first week of the Games reach double the total acquired around Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Almost three-quarter of a billion streaming minutes of Olympics content has been consumed on discovery+ and Eurosport subscription services during the first week, nearly 18 times more than by the same stage of PyeongChang 2018. Representing Discovery’s first Olympic Summer Games, the early audience indicators, featuring the first 9 days of full competition, underline the stories being told are driving significant interest and engagement among audiences.

Large linear TV audience share, demonstrating the widespread interest in these Games, has been seen across the Nordic markets where Discovery is presenting the Games on its free-to-air networks. Shares as high as 78% in Norway (Handball, Spain vs. Norway); 67% in Sweden (Football, Sweden vs. Australia); and 60% in Sweden (Swimming) have been recorded.

Thanks to the multi-platform distribution approach that Discovery has pioneered across Europe (FTA, PayTV, and Digital/D2C) more than 275 million viewers have watched the Games so far. Over 100 million of those have watched through Discovery’s coverage on TV and digital, and an additional 175 million more have watched the Games through Discovery’s sublicence agreements with partner free-to-air broadcasters around Europe. Together this represents 10% higher reach than PyeongChang 2018, and the average audience share of Discovery’s pay-TV channels has improved by more than 30%. Viewership and engagement for the full Olympic Games will be reported at the end of the Games.

Jean-Briac Perrette, President & CEO, Discovery International, said: “The Olympic Games is the biggest global event that goes far beyond sports and traditional sports audiences. When we look back at the first week, it is clear the Olympics has brought new and different audiences to our platforms in impressive numbers. The Tokyo Games are seeing digital numbers never seen before, and we are thrilled that so many fans across Europe are watching the Games on discovery+ and Eurosport Player.”

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.”

Eurosport.com and its multiple local market versions have also seen record breaking daily audiences, with three times higher reach as the same stage of PyeongChang 2018. Interest in the Olympics delivered a record month for Eurosport.com in July as 54 million unique users visited the platform.

Discovery is presenting Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 50 markets in Europe featuring 11 national productions and coverage in 19 languages. It is the only place in Europe to offer every unmissable moment, available on discovery+ and its Eurosport digital services**.

Notes to Editor
The period measured includes the first nine full competition days of Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as the Opening Ceremony and the selected sports events held on Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd July. 

*Excludes Russia. Discovery is an Official Broadcaster in France and the U.K for Tokyo 2020.
**Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be available to watch on discovery+ in Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In all other European markets, except Russia, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be available on Eurosport’s digital services.