The declining ratings of the Beijing Olympics do not necessarily reflect a lack of interest from the Quebec public. The numbers are only part of the story.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Radio-Canada will publish its report on the 2022 Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Although we do not know its exact content, we know that it will reveal a drop in TV audiences.
The few data gathered over the past two weeks reflect this trend.
For example, the opening ceremony on February 4, hosted by Marie-José Turcotte and Céline Galipeau, rallied 872,000 fans on ICI Télé and RDS, according to Numéris (203,000 people live in the morning and 669,000 in rebroadcast in the evening ). At the previous PyeongChang Winter Games in 2018, it attracted a total of 1,125,000 on ICI Télé and RDS. This is a drop of 23%.
Presented on Sunday, the closing ceremony suffered an even greater drop.
Its two broadcasts attracted a total of 547,000 viewers on ICI Télé, a decrease of 38% compared to PyeongChang’s 888,000.
In the United States, it’s essentially the same story. According to an article from HollywoodReporter posted online on Monday, the channels of the NBCUniversal group, holder of the rights to broadcast the Beijing Games on American soil, recorded an average of 11.4 million prime-time viewers over the past two weeks, down by 42% compared to 2018, when 19.8 million viewers were loyal to the station.
Digital Migration
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND THE PRESS
The opening ceremony of the Games, on February 4
A number of factors may explain this drop in ratings. Vice-president, activation, at Cossette, an agency specializing in media placement, Geneviève Marchand first mentions the decline in TV viewing in general. Indeed, each year, linear television (so-called “conventional”) loses feathers. In terms of reach, there is talk of a 6% drop from 2020 to 2021.
The growing popularity of video-on-demand services like Netflix also enters into the equation.
Another significant factor: the possibility of watching the Olympic Games elsewhere than on the small screen; on the application of the diffuser, in particular.
Radio-Canada allows people to follow the Olympic Games on other platforms. It gave us the chance to watch some performances during our working hours. These figures are not counted in terms of listening.
Geneviève Marchand, Vice-President, Activation, at Cossette
Radio-Canada will unveil its digital data on Tuesday. Logically, they should show a progression.
Between discrepancy and controversy
Some factors closely related to the 2022 Winter Olympics have also caused TV audiences to crumble. The 13-hour time difference between Beijing and Montreal is particularly responsible.
“We attended almost nothing live,” comments Pierre Barrette, director of the School of Media at the University of Quebec in Montreal. “The Olympics is the kind of event we want to see live. This feeling of always being late, it plays. »
PHOTO BERNAT ARMANGUE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russian skater Kamila Valieva
The bad press surrounding the Beijing Games may also have undermined their ratings. We think in particular of the case of Kamila Valieva, this 15-year-old Russian figure skater authorized to pursue her Olympic dream despite a positive doping test. Moreover, even before the competitions began, many observers sharply criticized the decision of the International Olympic Committee to hold these Games in China, a country that violates human rights.
“That may have made listening a little less interesting for some people,” says Pierre Barrette. One thing is certain, it did not restore the image of the Games. »
COVID factor
COVID-19 would also have played a role. Talk to the gala organizers. Indeed, for almost two years, both in the United States and in Quebec, the award ceremonies (Oscars, Gémeaux, Artis) have struggled to match the figures they reached before the pandemic. The fact that they are held behind closed doors largely explains this erosion. The popularity of the Olympics would have suffered from the same syndrome.
“I’ve never been a big fan of figure skating, but in front of such a spectacle, I like to have the impression of following an event that rallies the crowds”, declares Pierre Barrette.
Normally, the stands are full. The ambiance is good. But at the Beijing Games, we saw three or four people scattered around the audience. It made things a little cold. It was less pleasant.
Pierre Barrette, director of the School of Media at the University of Quebec in Montreal
In short, the list of reasons for the decline in ratings is long. The performances of Canadian athletes, thanks to which Canada appears in 4and position of the medal table, are probably not part of it.
“Quebec athletes have won several medals,” said Geneviève Marchand of Cossette Media. It was certainly not their performances at the Games that influenced the ratings. People were still interested. »