London 2012 Grows 74% Over Beijing 2008: Average Audience of 2.1 Million Canadians Watch Days 1-3

- More than four in five Canadians have tuned in, reaching 83% of population -

- Swimming is most-watched sport so far with Reach of 13 million -

- CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca sites and apps average 14 million page views and 1.5 million video views each day of competition -

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LONDON, Aug. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - After the first three days of events (July 28 - 30), audiences for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium's coverage of London 2012 are averaging 2.1 million viewers overall throughout its 22 hours of daily coverage, and 2.8 million in prime time alone. The daily average is up a massive 74%* compared to the same period for Beijing 2008. On CTV alone, the Consortium's tape-delayed prime time coverage of London 2012 (1.9 million) is tracking 45% higher than CBC's live/taped prime time coverage of Beijing 2008 (1.3 million) for the same time period. From the start of the 2012 Games to date, an incredible 28 million Canadians - or 83.4% of the population - has watched some coverage on Consortium channels.

The popularity of London 2012 is crossing all age and gender lines. Females make up 52% of the A18+ audience, Games-to-date, while the broadcast has reached 85% of all Men 18+, 84% of all Women 18+, and 78% of all younger viewers aged 2-17.

Audiences for swimming events have dominated Consortium coverage so far, comprising the Top 5 most-watched events, including the most-watched event yet in Canada, swimming: men and women semifinals and finals on July 29 which averaged 2.2 million viewers. Overall, swimming events have reached a total of more than 13 million viewers over the past three days on Consortium networks. Additionally, on July 29 nearly 4.5 million Canadians watched some part of the synchronized diving final as Canada claimed its first medal - a bronze for Émilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel.

"We are very pleased with the results of our coverage thus far," said Adam Ashton, President, Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. "With all Consortium platforms showing growth over the first few days of the Games, we are confident that, with many marquee events and top medal contenders still to come, we will continue to achieve new standards for a Summer Games. Congratulations to all of our Canadian athletes as they continue to perform on the world stage - we couldn't be more proud to deliver their stories and achievements to audiences at home."

Average audiences on Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium for Days 1 - 3 of London 2012 include:

	July 28-30
OLYMPIC MORNING / LONDRES 2012 À RDS (4 a.m. - 12 noon ET)	1.23 million
OLYMPIC DAYTIME / LONDRES 2012 À RDS (12 - 6 p.m. ET)	2.74 million
OLYMPIC PRIME TIME /  AUJOURD'HUI À LONDRES SUR RDS (7 - 11 p.m. ET)	2.8 million

CTV NATIONAL NEWS is also averaging 1.5 million viewers from the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games to date, more than tripling the average of CBC NATIONAL (PART 1) (466,000) and up 31% compared to its summer average.**

Additional Highlights for Days 1-3:

• Weightlifting: Men's 56kg is the most-watched event so far on CTV garnering 2 million viewers on July 29
• Beach Volleyball: Men - Canada vs. Great Britain has been the most popular event on TSN, with 664,000 viewers on July 28
• Weightlifting: Women's 53kg is the most-watched event on Sportsnet, garnering 554,000 viewers on July 29
• V delivered 412,000 viewers for the Beach Volleyball: Men - Canada vs. Great Britain game on July 28
• RDS saw 385,000 tune in to the Beach Volleyball: Women - Great Britain vs. Canada game on July 29

By the end of Day 3, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca sites and apps saw nearly 6 million visits, delivering a combined 41.7 million page views, pacing 11% higher than Vancouver 2010 with most marquee events still ahead. With a total of 4.5 million video views, more than 184,000 hours of video has been consumed on classic web alone (desktop and laptop). The Ultimate Fan experience - which invites fans to earn points and enter to win prizes - has resulted in 32% more time spent on the site by those visitors compared to users who are not playing the game. While sites within Bell Media usually receive 12% of their traffic from mobile sites, 62% of page views on Consortium digital platforms during London 2012 have come via a mobile device.

Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is fully engaged with fans. With almost 40,000 interactions on social networks*** facilitated by the Social Team and 425,000**** clicks into the live chats, the Consortium is right there with fans throughout every televised and streamed event during these Olympic Games.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Twitter
@CTVOlympics
@RDSolympiques

Facebook
facebook.com/CTVOlympics
facebook.com/RDSolympiques

Google+
CTVOlympics
RDSolympiques

YouTube
YouTube.com/CTVOlympics
YouTube.com/RDSolympiques

About Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium
Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship led by Canada's #1 broadcaster, CTV with 80% interest, along with Rogers Media Inc. with 20% interest. The Consortium is providing unprecedented English, French, and multilingual coverage and consumer choice on multiple platforms during the London 2012 Olympic Games, through August 12, 2012. Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RDS Info, Sportsnet, OMNI Television, OLN, V, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, and select Rogers radio stations across the country. In addition, select stations will also air the London 2012 Paralympic Games from August 29 - September 9, 2012. The Consortium delivered the Top 5 most-watched events in Canadian television history during its revolutionary coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Source: BBM Canada
CTV electronic audience databases incorporate data beginning in 1994.
Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.
*Based on total time tuned
**Summer 2012: May 28 - July 22/12
Online: All digital numbers are via Omniture unless otherwise noted.
***Radian6
****Cover it Live

 

SOURCE: Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium

Renee Rouse, 416.384.7599, [email protected]
Amy Doary, 011.4.(0) 77.14079701, [email protected]