In their first-ever Olympics broadcast, Viacom18 announced that its Paris 2024 coverage achieved record-breaking viewership across both linear and digital platforms in India. According to the channel, over 17 crore viewers tuned into JioCinema and the Sports18 Network, accumulating a watch-time of over 1500 crore minutes. This marks the highest engagement for Olympics content in India to date.
Extensive coverage across platforms
Viacom18’s coverage in India featured 20 concurrent feeds on JioCinema, all available for free. This allowed fans to follow their preferred sports and Indian athletes anytime, anywhere, on any device, making Paris 2024 the most-watched Olympics in Indian history.
The broadcast included 17 sports-specific feeds and three curated feeds, all in 4K quality, enabling viewers to track top athletes from around the world. On linear platforms, Sports18 – 1, Sports18 – 1 HD, and Sports18 – 2 focused on India-centric coverage, while Sports18 – 3 featured global action. English commentary was available on Sports18 – 1 and Sports18 – 1 HD, with Tamil and Telugu options via a language button. Sports18 – 2 offered coverage in Hindi.
Growing interest in non-cricket sports
“Paris 2024 is a prime example of how non-cricket sporting action is continuing to grow in adoption amongst Indian audiences,” said Viacom18 – Digital CEO Kiran Mani. The Olympics coverage featured world-class production, expert studio analysis from former Olympians, and commentary in multiple languages, making it highly engaging for viewers. Mani added, “Our goal is to enhance the sports viewing experience, engage fans across all screens for longer, and provide advertisers with effective avenues to reach their audiences.”
Engaging presentation and high advertiser interest
The coverage began with a dedicated camera feed on the India float during the Opening Ceremony, accompanied by live studio interviews. The Opening Ceremony was broadcasted across the Sports18 Network, Colors Network, VH1, and MTV, in addition to being free on JioCinema.
Strong advertising partnerships
The company reported that 69 brands partnered with their Olympics coverage, leading to a 2.6x increase in advertising revenue compared to the previous edition. Co-Presenting Partners included Reliance Foundation, SBI, and JSW, while Coca-Cola India Limited and Herbalife were among the Associate Partners. Other major advertisers included RBI, AMFI, Aditya Birla Capital, Air India, Bacardi Martini India Limited, and MRF.
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