TORONTO – The Rio 2016 Olympic Games have become the most-watched summer Olympic Games in Canadian history, CBC said Tuesday.
From the Opening Ceremony on August 5 to the Closing Ceremony on August 21, CBC/Radio-Canada's coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games reached 32.1 million Canadians across all networks and platforms.
The 2+ average full day audience for CBC's Rio 2016 English-language television broadcasts (1.271M, main network only) increased by 11% over the London 2012 Olympic Games (1.146M, main network only). In primetime, the 2+ average audience (2.315M, main network only) increased by 23% over London (1.879M, main network only).
In addition, CBC's average audience for Pacific primetime coverage (1.055M, main network only, 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM ET) saw an average audience (2+) increase of 189% over late night coverage during London 2012 (365,000, main network only, 12:00 – 2:00 AM ET). Mutual viewing accounted for 60% of all viewing (2+), indicating that Canadians enjoyed watching the Summer Games together. This number increases to 65% for primetime viewing.
The most-watched day of the Games was August 18 (Day 18) when 7.2 million Canadians tuned in to see Jamaica’s Usain Bolt capturing the gold medal and Canada’s Andre De Grasse winning silver in the men’s 200m.
In terms of digital audiences, CBC/Radio-Canada's English- and French-language websites and apps generated more than 229 million total page views and nearly 37 million video views over the course of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These video views alone account for more than 626 million minutes of video watched by Canadians over the course of the Games.
"The best athletes from Canada and around the world inspired us day after day in Rio and it was our privilege to share these moments of triumph and heartbreak with so many Canadians," said Greg Stremlaw, CBC Sports executive director and GM and chef de mission for CBC/Radio-Canada's coverage of Rio 2016, in the news release. "CBC/Radio-Canada is proud to be Canada's Olympic Network through 2024, and to continue to shine a spotlight on these athletes and their stories at the Games and also year-round through our weekly coverage of high-performance sport."
Over the course of Rio 2016, CBC/Radio-Canada and primary broadcast partners TSN and RDS, as well as Sportsnet, provided Canadians with 1275 hours of television coverage and more than 4000 hours of live streaming sport coverage.
