Olympic opening ceremony viewership in the ‘0%’ range, unprecedented… Why the mixed response for OTT platforms?

The combined viewer ratings for the three terrestrial broadcasters fell to the 3% range
Possibly impacted by the 7-hour time difference and failure to advance in popular events
Wave and AfreecaTV obtained broadcast rights, Olympics situation uncertain,

[Paris=Newsis] Reporter Kim Jin-ah: On the 26th(local time) in Paris, France, at the venue set up for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Place du Trocadéro, spectators are watching Lady Gaga’s congratulatory performance. (Joint Press) 2024.07.27. [email protected],
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, ‘[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Choi Eun-soo: The viewer ratings for the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony broadcasted by the three terrestrial broadcasters have been reported to have significantly dropped compared to the previous Olympics. With the decrease in expectations for the success of the Paris Olympics, concerns are arising that internet companies that have turned to mobile broadcasting may find it difficult to benefit from Olympic specials.’,
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, ‘According to Nielsen Korea on the 29th, the TV viewer ratings for the live broadcast of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, which aired from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on the 27th(Korean time), were recorded as KBS1 1.4%, MBC 1.0%, SBS 0.6%.’,
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, ‘These viewer ratings fell significantly below the 17.2% total viewer ratings achieved by the three terrestrial broadcasters during the live broadcast of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. At that time, the ratings were KBS1 8.4%, SBS 4.8%, MBC 4%.’,
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, ‘Industry experts point to the hosting location and the 7-hour time difference between Korea as main factors for the decline in viewer ratings for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.’,
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, ‘Even considering the time difference, the fact that the opening ceremony took place in the early hours of Saturday(27th) Korean time is seen as falling short of expectations.’,
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, ‘It is also pointed out that the low viewer interest is due to the fact that out of the 8 ball sports events (handball, water polo, basketball, hockey, soccer, handball, rugby, volleyball) held in this Paris Olympics, the only event Korea is participating in is women\’s handball.’,
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, ‘The interest of companies in securing online broadcasting rights for the Olympics has also dampened. Broadcasters negotiate for broadcasting rights with the Olympic Committee, and then broadcasters with general broadcasting rights negotiate with online platforms for redistribution. Real-time broadcasting of Olympic matches or replays can only be aired through media platforms where negotiations have been finalized.’,
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, ‘Wave is the only major OTT(Online Video Service) platform that has secured broadcasting rights for the Paris Olympics. Wave’s joint 2nd-largest shareholder being the three terrestrial broadcasters is seen as an influencing factor. Wave has been broadcasting the tournament since the 25th starting with the women\’s handball match. It provides real-time broadcasts on KBS1, KBS2, MBC, SBS, and other terrestrial channels in addition to major game replays, highlights, etc. It also offers entertainment shows, documentaries, and interviews featuring Olympic athletes.’,
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, ‘SOOP will be broadcasting the major matches of 32 events, including the games the Korean national team participates in, through its streaming platform AfreecaTV. The Paris Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th will also be broadcast live.’,
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, ‘Instead of live broadcasting rights, Naver has purchased VOD rights in negotiations for the Paris Olympics, providing services such as replays.’,
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, ‘Other platforms like Coupang Play and Kakao have not joined in securing broadcasting rights.’,
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, ‘In contrast, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Coupang Play attempted an OTT exclusive broadcast which led to controversy over universal viewing rights, causing them to abandon the broadcast. Naver, Wave, and AfreecaTV carried out online live broadcasts, intensifying competition. During the Tokyo Olympics, Wave benefitted from the special atmosphere, such as having five times more simultaneous channel viewers than usual during the men\’s archery team final.’,
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, “Due to the increasingly lukewarm interest in the Olympics compared to previous years, the high cost of broadcasting rights versus the benefits of securing them is also being questioned. In addition, there are concerns about the emergence of the debate over ‘universal viewing rights’. Recently, in the broadcasting industry, there has been criticism that not subscribing to services such as OTT or paid TV would infringe on the public’s right to universal viewing of events like the Olympics.”,
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, ‘Noh Chang-hee, head of the Digital Industry Policy Research Institute, commented, “As South Korea joins the ranks of advanced countries, interest in the Olympics has decreased compared to the past,” and “interest in comprehensive competitions has declined while fandom for specific events has increased. The uncertainty compared to regular sporting events is also significant.”‘,
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, ‘Nevertheless, Noh Chang-hee also analyzed, “Currently, as South Korea is performing well in the Paris Olympics, it is still difficult to predict, and there is room for the atmosphere to change.”‘,
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, ‘Meanwhile, South Korea is sending a team of 206 athletes and officials to participate in 21 events at the Paris Olympics. They aim to achieve 5 or more gold medals and rank within the top 15 overall for the first time in 48 years since the 1976 Montreal Games.’,
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