The last eighteen months have been a tumult of change, frustration and loss for most people around the world. Which is why the Summer Olympics in Tokyo should be a welcome distraction this year…or will it? The Games are rife with problems and the pandemic is still raging across the planet. Consequently, the Games’ success will depend on viewer interest and the performances of the athletes that attend.
There’s High Interest in Both Men & Women’s Sports
With the overall success of the Games anybody’s guess, there are some positives the Olympics always provide irrespective of circumstances. Among the most aspirational elements of the Games is that men’s and women’s sports are equally covered and viewed.
As an example of the norm, a review of media coverage for women’s sports in Europe reveals only 12% of broadcast time at its peak. However, with the Olympics, those numbers are nearly identical with 45% interested in women’s sports and 48% interested in the men’s.
Image from Nielsen
Of course, this shouldn’t be too shocking as 84% of sports fans are say they interested in watching women sports, busting the myth that fans only want to watch men compete. Good competition is good competition. And that means great things for sports bars who can harness that interest.
This is especially important for the Summer Olympics since they garner the most audience interest of any other sports league. To put a fine point on it, the next nearest example is the Winter Olympics followed at a distance with the NBA, UEFA Champions League, and the English Premier League. This all means from Friday July 23rd to Sunday August 7th, the world will be watching men and women compete on its biggest stage in fairly equal numbers.
Image from Nielsen
Olympic-sized Controversies
Unfortunately, the world may also be watching its great sh*t show as these Olympics are already dealing with controversy and disruption. For every Novak Djokovic, who has confirmed he will play for the chance to win the Golden Slam, there are myriad other stories of folks staying away from an Olympics that has been struggling with serious COVID-related problems.
On top of that, the Games have already had some weird twists with condoms and COVID both leading headlines. That coupled with the decision to not allow any spectators and you have games that are heading in a less than ideal direction.
Tokyo Games Means Scheduling Difficulties
Oh, and did we mention the 10-13 hour time difference between Tokyo and the United States? This means coverage that begins at 7pm local Tokyo time will start at 6am on the East Coast and 3am in the West. The best bet for live coverage are afternoon events in Tokyo which will air in primetime in the US, but mostly on the West Coast. Track & Field for example airs primarily during the day. So, a 1pm start in Tokyo will be available live in Los Angeles at 8pm. Not exactly ideal for live coverage in North America, but it’s better than nothing.
If you want to be open for those early-morning events, you may want to consider building a breakfast or brunch menu for the Olympic fans.
Let’s be frank, these games won’t do much for the average sports-themed operation. In our experience, the only events that attract real attention are the Opening Ceremony and specialty events like gymnastics and track. The only other competitive events that will encourage your guests to gather would be the men’s basketball tournament and women’s soccer.
Other than that, the Olympics are typically good background content to what you usually air over the summer; however, with their location being 13 hours ahead that may be the only purpose they serve at your location. As always, they will be included in your SportsTV Guide listings. If you need to see the exact schedule in advance, you can visit the NBC Olympics site and preview what is available. At least once the games have ended, you can immediately turn your attention to football once again…so there’s that!
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