NBC sees ‘worst case scenario’ as Olympics ratings plunge amid ‘woke’ protests

Experts have pointed to woke, anti-U.S. protests from American athletes as part of the lack of interest

NBC is giving advertisers who bought airtime during the Tokyo Olympics extra commercials due to underwhelming ratings for this year’s 2020 Olympic Games, fueled by a pandemic-weary population and backlash against woke athletes protesting the U.S. flag and national anthem.

NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua insisted to the Associated Press that the network would still make money on the 2020 Olympics – but left out details about how much.

NBC’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on July 26 averaged 14.7 million viewers — for a 49% drop compared to the equivalent night from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and 53% less than the 2012 London Olympics. The opening ceremonies saw their lowest viewership since 1988.

United States' Megan Rapinoe kneels prior to the women's bronze medal soccer match against Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Kashima, Japan. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
United States’ Megan Rapinoe kneels prior to the women’s bronze medal soccer match against Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Kashima, Japan. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Variety senior TV editor Brian Steinberg wrote that the drop has spurred “advertiser anxiety” which hasn’t been eased by the news that legendary American gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from team competition and fan favorite Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the tennis medal competition. 

He quoted a media buying executive who said the early viewership numbers “clearly are not what NBC, our agency or our clients were looking for” from costly investment.

“When you look at the numbers, it’s hard to be pleased with them,” Andy Billings, director of the sports communications program at the University of Alabama, told the AP. “It’s probably NBC’s worst-case scenario, but it’s probably a worst-case scenario that they would have been able to predict months ago.”

Viewership has lagged behind the Rio coverage by roughly half on numerous nights of this year’s competition.

EUGENE, OREGON - JUNE 26: Gwendolyn Berry celebrates finishing third in the Women's Hammer Throw final on day nine of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 26, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 26: Gwendolyn Berry celebrates finishing third in the Women’s Hammer Throw final on day nine of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 26, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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