“Game-changing” content makes Buenos Aires 2018 the most digitally consumed Youth Olympic Games ever
Coverage of Buenos Aires 2018 made the third edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) the most digitally consumed in the event’s eight-year history. Digital platforms including buenosaires2018.com, olympic.org and olympicchannel.com attracted 6 million unique users, generating 58 million page views. Some 188 million video views were registered across the Olympic Channel, YouTube and social media platforms, making digital viewership 94 times that of Nanjing 2014.
Just over one month since the third edition of the Summer YOG concluded in Buenos Aires, this final analysis was presented today to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting in Tokyo, Japan.
As part of the #GameChangers campaign that was launched ahead of the Games, athletes and fans were provided with digital tools to curate their own content. Some 122 million users viewed the digital sticker packs that saw athletes and fans personalising their Games-time experience with YOG-specific stickers, while hundreds of athletes created their own animated GIFs, which were seen by 28 million people on the Google Tenor dedicated page. Furthermore, to reach new audiences who would not normally consume sport, a team of seven influencers worked with athletes to create engaging content that was seen by 12 million people.
Social media coverage of Buenos Aires 2018 also saw significant traffic, with 713 million impressions engaging fans in Games-time content, medal moments, sports action, athlete takeovers, interviews and daily live shows.
Rights-Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) made almost 7,000 hours of YOG content available on digital platforms. In total, there was an 88 per cent increase in the broadcast coverage by RHBs compared to Nanjing 2014. For news outlets, both linear and online, the iocnewsroom.com service supplemented coverage, with 1,700 channels downloading content and broadcasting 6,400 times.
Making its Youth Olympic Games debut, the Olympic Channel was the worldwide digital rights-holder for the first time, ensuring global coverage for the YOG. Leveraging a multi-platform distribution strategy that included the web and iOS and Android applications complemented by social media, YOG programming helped the global digital platform surpass two billion cumulative views in October 2018. Users from 234 countries and territories visited the Olympic Channel platform during the Games, with the highest viewership coming from the host country of Argentina and 66 per cent of all traffic coming from mobile devices. Live events were a key driver of platform viewership, accounting for approximately 70 per cent of all video views with an average watch time of 8.32 minutes.
To ensure that Olympic Channel content was accessible on multiple platforms, distribution was extended to 77 members from within the Olympic family, including olympic.org, buenosaires2018.com, International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees.
Featuring comprehensive “digital-first” coverage, including a streaming 24/7 Youth Olympic Games Channel, live event and on-demand streaming for 149 events and daily highlights, the Olympic Channel provided coverage of all sports and disciplines on the programme at Buenos Aires 2018.
To relive moments from Buenos Aires 2018, visit www.olympicchannel.com.