Wow, Tokyo Olympics Watched 6 Billion Minutes Streaming

Tokyo Olympics (Twitter @tokyo2020)

JAKARTA - The unit of the US television network NBC, NBCUniversal, said that the Tokyo Olympics were the most watched Olympics by streaming.

The media group's company said the Tokyo Games were the "most watched Olympics" with about six billion minutes of streaming and 2.9 billion views on NBC's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

"Nothing is more powerful in the media than the dominance of the Olympics for 17 straight days," said NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua.

"The pandemic has fundamentally changed almost every aspect of this match, but our team is changing the model, and reimagining, in the midst of putting on a show that makes history for 41 sports."

"Once again, we have seen the unparalleled power this Olympics has in our media and culture."

NBC said the Olympics showed strong ratings on television, despite a decline in viewership compared to previous years.

NBCUniversal said the average television audience for the Tokyo games was 15.1 million. That figure is below the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

An estimated 150 million Americans watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics on NBC.

Meanwhile, website Sports Media Watch said last week's attendance was down 42 percent from the same days as the Rio Olympics five years ago, and was among the least watched at any Olympics.

Poynter media columnist Tom Jones said the figure was expected to represent a drop of as much as 10 million US viewers for Tokyo compared to Rio.

"Several factors may have influenced the figure, including the half-day time difference between Tokyo and the United States," Jones said.

"There is also a general gloomy mood due to COVID-19 and the absence of spectators."

Jones said viewers were drawn to "important stories, such as American gymnast Simone Biles who brought more attention to the mental health of athletes by withdrawing from some numbers."

NBC said it delivered about 120 billion minutes of content via its broadcast, cable network and digital platforms including streaming service Peacock.