The 2024 Paris Olympics offered a glimpse into the future of media. This was, without a doubt, the most tech-driven Olympics in history. Whether inside the arena, in a Paris newsroom, or on the other side of the world, broadcasters had to compete for the ultimate gold medal — audience engagement. Here’s how they succeeded.
Time Difference Challenges
NBC couldn’t force people to wait for the time-delayed broadcast, because social was covering everything in real-time. The time difference between the U.S. and Paris meant that by the time Americans woke up, social media was already abuzz with highlights from the day’s events. I remember waking up one morning thinking: “Why is the Pommel Horse guy the most trending person in the U.S. today?” The time difference put broadcasters in the tough spot of needing to report on events but also provide quick context, helping those tuning in understand the significance of the moments they were seeing on their social media feeds.
Viral Moments
During the Games, staying ahead in real-time was essential — for insight into what people were talking about during the Olympics, we looked at social trends detected by TopicPulse, which monitors X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and 250,000+ news sources.
MEMES: In addition to epic Olympic memes, there were some other interesting trends…
SNOOP: Some of the most shared moments included the surprise of Snoop Dogg carrying and dancing with the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony, as well as when superstars Lady Gaga followed by Celine Dion wowed the crowds during the opening ceremony.
CELINE: In fact, the virality of Celine Dion’s first time performing live since August 2022 resulted in her music instantly charting in the Top 40 in both the U.S. and the UK. And of course, NBC Sports was sure to put the performance across its social media channels, with the YouTube clip racking up over 6 million views by the time of this writing.
IMANE KHELIF: Another trend was the gender eligibility controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, which led to some intense debates on social media. This topic not only drew attention to the athlete’s journey but also highlighted broader discussions on inclusivity in sports. In various articles, NBC News came to the athlete’s defense.
NBC put influencers to work as part of their coverage
But no matter the day’s trending topic, NBCUniversal knew the power of harnessing audience engagement from the get-go as much on the field as off. One of NBC’s standout moves was the strategic use of social media. NBCUniversal’s “Paris Creator Collective” partnered with platforms like Meta, Overtime, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube to bring 27 social media creators to Paris.
Athletes as Content Creators
But while influencers were releasing content in droves, some of the best performing content was from the athletes themselves. For instance, USA rugby star Ilona Maher gained nearly 2 million new Instagram followers with her outfit “fit checks,” traveling around Paris eating pastries with her sister (sponsored by Google) and quoting the popular reality show Love Island.
In other words, to get attention, it wasn’t simply reporting on the Games; it was about experiencing them through the eyes of influencers or athletes themselves, outside of competition. This strategy paid off, with 8.5 billion social media engagements in the first week alone.
On-Demand Viewing Increased Audience Size
By all metrics, the 2024 Paris Olympics were a resounding success in terms of viewership, with huge increases across various platforms compared to previous Games. NBCUniversal’s coverage saw an average of 34.5 million viewers during the first three days, a 79% increase over the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This surge was driven by the more favorable time difference (allowing more live coverage in U.S. primetime) as well as the expanded digital coverage through YouTube Live and OTT platforms like Peacock, which saw usage levels higher than both Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 combined.
NBC also had an AI-powered News Anchor… AI Al Michaels
Washington Post reported “The fake Al Michaels is surprisingly good in Olympics highlights…” NBC used an AI-generated version of Al Michaels to narrate daily Olympic highlights on Peacock. The AI reads AI-generated text introducing events, with human review ensuring accuracy. The controlled, consented use of AI was praised for its effectiveness and ethical implementation.
A Futuristic Coverage Strategy
By combining real-time insights and creative storytelling, NBC was able to deliver Olympic coverage live and on-demand, with AI and humans, with journalists and creators, with athletes as part of the reporter pool. The spirit of the Games was vibrant across all platforms and time zones, keeping audiences connected no matter where or when they were tuning in, and even regardless of which platform they chose.
This article originally ran as a column on Inside Radio.
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