Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Recap: 4 Key Takeaways

The 2024 Paris Olympics was historic in terms of how viewers could watch the games on TV in the U.S., with all events streaming on Peacock to complement the NBC broadcast. The ability to pick and choose which games to watch and when helped propel viewership to new heights, with roughly half the population watching across linear and streaming. 

With superstar athletes setting world records to lesser known competitors going viral, it was a memorable Olympics both in Paris and on the internet, bolstered by memes and social media driving relevance and viewership. Read on for some key takeaways from our report, and download the analysis for a deeper dive. 

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1. Capitalize on post-Olympics viewing by targeting fans directly across digital channels without breaking the bank.

The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics drove massive viewership, surpassing the Tokyo 2020 games by 11% and the Beijing 2022 games by 25%. Looking to reach these viewers without spending top dollar? Use advanced targeting to reach sports fans on their mobile devices and connected TVs in a cost effective way.

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2. Women’s sports continue to draw fans: advertisers looking to drive reach at scale should look to this valuable air time. 

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that women’s sports are rightfully getting the attention that they deserve. In fact, during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the three days that drove the highest TV viewership were all days that the women’s gymnastics team competed. With women’s sporting events typically a more cost-effective area to place buys than men’s, advertisers should lean into this airtime.

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3. Use real-time targeting to reach valuable diverse, high-income households watching events like the Olympics. 

The new era of personalized viewing experiences has ushered in new Olympics viewers. Compared with the Beijing 2022 Olympics, there was a sharp uptick in viewership from Hispanic and Black households, with each group comprising 13% more of the games’ total audience in Paris than Beijing. For advertisers that want to engage these viewers post-Olympics, check out samba.tv/audiences to implement a campaign in minutes that targets age ranges, income ranges, ethnic groups, Olympics viewers, and more. 

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4. Drive massive reach like Toyota and Xfinity with advanced targeting across screens. 

With over 59M U.S. households watching the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the global event remains one of the biggest sporting events of the decade, and brands like Toyota and Xfinity did a great job of reaching massive audiences throughout the tournaments. Advertisers looking to reach these audiences without spending top dollar should use advanced targeting to reach sports fans on their mobile devices and connected TVs.

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