The Paris Olympics has been drawing big audience numbers, most notably for the women’s soccer quarter final, which had 3.4 million Canadians tuning in on day eight of the 2024 Games, making it the most watched event to date.
A total of 2.53 million viewers watched until the end of the quarter final match on CBC. In addition, 1.926 million viewers watched the Canadian women’s soccer team score a final goal against France to win the game on day two of the Games, while on day three, 1.9 million watched the team win against Colombia, according to Numeris data.
For the first 10 days of Paris 2024, CBC has been the most-watched English network in Canada among 25 to 54 audiences. Canadians have also consumed over 18 million hours of Paris 2024 content on CBC’s digital and streaming platforms, in both daytime and primetime, up 74% over Tokyo 2020 and 106% over Beijing 2022. In addition, time spent streaming Olympic content on CBC Gem is up 268% from the same period in Tokyo 2020 and up 184% from Beijing 2022.
At this point in the Games, there are limited advertising spots available. CBC/Radio-Canada secured 25 partners for Paris 2024, including many IOC and COC partners. Throughout the rest of this week, Canadians will continue to see partner content alongside Canadian athletes’ performances on the field of play.
“Audiences across the country have shown their wholehearted support for Team Canada so far at Paris 2024 by tuning into CBC’s coverage across our platforms, with new surprises and stories unfolding each day,” says Chris Wilson, CBC/Radio-Canada’s general manager. “These Games have once again demonstrated the power of sport by uniting the country around these incredible athletes, and we will continue to share their triumphs and challenges with audiences through the end of the competition, and beyond.”
So far, women’s soccer and swimming appear to be the most popular viewing events for Canadians. Swimming highlights include 1.933 million viewers watching Summer McIntosh’s second Gold medal win in the women’s 200m butterfly and 1.613 million viewers watching her Gold medal race in the women’s 400m individual medley. The day nine women’s 4x100m medley relay, which resulted in a fourth-place finish, was viewed by 1.911 million Canadians. McIntosh’s day one 400m freestyle attracted 1.47 million viewers.
Other popular events include the introduction of Team Canada during the opening ceremony, which was seen by 1.6 million viewers. The end of the Canadian men’s basketball game against Spain on day seven was watched by 1.5 million and 1.4 million Canadians viewed Ellie Black’s performance during women’s artistic gymnastics.
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s Olympic Network through 2032 and Paralympic network through 2026. Paris 2024 concludes with live coverage of the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11 beginning at 2:30 pm ET.
