Dive Brief:
- About 84% of Summer Olympics viewers will watch the games on TV, according to a poll of 1,105 U.S. internet users who identified themselves as sports fans and Olympics followers by Rubicon Project and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates.
- Some viewers said they would watch the games live on their computers (44%) and their mobile devices (36%).
- However, more viewers (59%) said they would watch for or listen to the results on news sites and blogs.
Dive Insight:
As social media platforms jockey to become the next big thing in live streaming video, viewers of the Summer Olympic games will primarily watch the event on live TV, instead of from their computers or smartphones. This year's Olympic games will be held in Brazil from August 5-21.
But eMarketer's numbers show that second-screening is a growing trend to watch at this year's Olympics, with consumers using more and more devices to connect with events they want to follow. Just over 50% of those surveyed said they browse the internet while watching sports, while 47% use email and about one-third do other second-screening activities, such as use social media. eMarketer also recently published statistics on second-screening in general, showing that about 80% of U.S. internet users go online while watching TV at least once per month.
That bodes well for brands looking to reach followers of the Olympics. Even if they can't buy TV time for an ad spot, marketers can leverage viewers' second-screen habits to reach them on other platforms, such as news sites and social networks.
