CBC/Radio-Canada says Friday’s Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony was watched, at least in part, by one in three Canadians on its platforms.
The public broadcaster has released Numeris data indicating more than 13.3 million viewers tuned in on CBC and Radio-Canada networks and broadcast partners TSN, Sportsnet and RDS, with an additional 1.9 million streams on CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital platforms, including CBC Gem, ICI TOU.TV, and accompanying Paris 2024 websites and apps. Total video hours streamed are triple that of the opening of Tokyo 2020, with 775,000 hours streamed.
CBC’s live afternoon broadcast of the Opening Ceremony, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:38 p.m. ET, and primetime encore, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:38 p.m. ET, were the top two most-watched programs in Canada on Friday among both 2+ and 25-54 audiences.
The live afternoon broadcast was the most-watched program with an average audience of 1.3 million viewers, an increase of 30% over the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony (1 million) and 36% over Beijing 2022 (943,000). CBC’s encore primetime broadcast was the second most-watched program in Canada on Friday with an average audience of 1.2 million viewers (2+). Viewership peaked at 2:01 p.m. ET when 1.6 million viewers watched the introduction of Team Canada during the parade of athletes on the River Seine.
Streaming viewers double that of Tokyo 2020
The public broadcaster says the total number of streaming hours spent by audiences across all CBC digital platforms so far is nearly double the daily average during Tokyo 2020, and up nearly 10% compared to the daily average for Beijing 2022.
Time spent on CBC Gem each day thus far has also increased compared to the daily average during Tokyo 2020 (+272%) and Beijing 2022 (+27%). Those watching on connected TVs account for 63% of hours watched on CBC Gem, with connected TV viewing up 120% compared to Beijing 2022, and 273% compared to Tokyo 2020, so far.
The largest Opening Ceremony in Olympic history and the first to be held outside of a stadium, CBC’s Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony coverage was hosted by Scott Russell, Adrienne Arsenault, and Primetime panel Andi Petrillo, Waneek Horn-Miller, Perdita Felicien and Craig McMorris. The star-studded event’s finale featured Canada’s own Céline Dion performing “Hymne à l’amour” on the Eiffel Tower.
“We’re delighted to have given Canadians the chance to experience the wonders of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and to be swept up in the emotions felt from one side of the world to the other,” said Catherine Tait, CEO and President of CBC/Radio-Canada. “In keeping with our mandate as a public broadcaster, these Olympic Games are an opportunity for us to continue to bring together audiences from across the country, and to share the stories, the dreams and the triumphs of our athletes.”
The public broadcaster’s coverage of the Olympic Games continues through Sunday, Aug. 11.
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