An estimated total of 5 billion people, equivalent to 84% of the potential global audience, followed the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This was revealed by an independent study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), highlighting the unprecedented success of this edition of the Games.
The exponential increase in digital engagement was one of the key factors. On social media, there were 412 billion interactions generated from 270 million posts. This represents a 290% increase over the previous edition of the Olympic Games.
RECORDS ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND TELEVISION
Media rights holders (MRHs) achieved historic results, driven by increased visibility on digital channels. The social networks of these rights holders experienced a 13-fold increase in interactions compared to previous Games. In addition, 70 percent of the global audience followed the Games on both television and digital platforms.
28.7 billion hours of platform coverage of the HRMs were viewed, an increase of 25% over the previous edition. On average, each viewer watched nine hours of content, an increase of 20%. In France, the host market, 95% of the potential audience consumed an average of 24 hours of coverage.
RELEVANCE TO NEW GENERATIONS
The IOC’s digital platforms also reached record numbers, generating 16.7 billion interactions, an increase of 174% over the previous Games. Athletes, national Olympic committees and international federations also benefited from this increase, gaining a combined 85 million new followers on social media.
Among younger generations, particularly Generation Z, the Games’ relevance surpassed that of the general population. Factors such as ‘inspirational athlete stories’, ‘social media buzz’ and ‘better accessibility to content’ were key to this increase in engagement.
A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE AND LASTING LEGACY
85% of spectators rated the experience of ticketed events as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, a figure that rose to 95% for free events and 98% for the Marathon Pour Tous race. Elements such as “atmosphere,” “visual appearance,” and “safety” were factors that stood out.
Athletes also gave highly positive feedback. Ninety-five percent rated their overall experience favorably, with 89% citing “becoming an Olympian” and 91% highlighting “competing in the world’s largest multi-sport event” as key motivations.
RELEVANCE IN A DIVIDED WORLD
In perception studies, 78% of respondents felt that the Olympic Games are more important than ever in a divided world. Three out of four agreed that the IOC succeeded in “uniting the world in peaceful competition” and “building a better world through sport.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President, said, “Paris 2024 demonstrated the unprecedented global appeal of the Olympic Games. These were the Games of a new era.” He further underlined how Olympic values resonate especially with the younger generations, cementing the Games’ relevance for the future.
