A record 32.1 million Canadians watched CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of the Rio Olympics, with the average full-day TV audience 11% higher than the 2012 London Games and prime time audiences up 23%.
Olympics coverage on the main CBC network was the top-rated programming in the morning, daytime, prime time and Pacific primetime segments among 2+ audiences, as well as the key adult 18-49 and adult 25-54 demographics.
The main CBC network attracted an average full-day audience of 1.27 million viewers 2+, according to ratings provider Numeris, up from 1.14 million viewers for the 2012 London Games. The main network’s average prime time audience of 2.31 million was up from 1.87 million viewers for the London Games.
The public broadcaster said mutual viewing accounted for 60% of all viewing, rising to 65% for prime time telecasts.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s English and French websites and apps generated more than 229 million pageviews and nearly 37 million video views over the course of the Games. Canadians watched a combined 626 million minutes of online video during the Games.
The 200m final featuring Canada’s Andre De Grasse and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt was the most-watched event of the Games, attracting 7.2 million viewers. The 100m final, which saw De Grasse claim a bronze medal, attracted the second most viewers, 6.9 million.
CBC and its broadcast partners, TSN, RDS and Sportsnet, provided more than 1,275 hours of television coverage and more than 4,000 hours of live-streaming coverage.
Canada’s Olympic team matched its record for most medals at a non-boycotted summer Games with 22, including four gold. It finished 10th overall in the total medal count, exceeding the Canadian Olympic Committee’s objective of a top 12 finish.
