Paris 2024 audience hit five billion – IOC report

The IOC said digital platforms in particular drove up attention. There were an estimated 412 billion engagements from 270 million posts on social media platforms, a 290% increase compared to the previous edition of the Games. 

Some 70% of the global audience watched on both television and digital platforms. 

There was also a 25% increase in the amount of coverage watched, with 28.7 billion hours of footage viewed around the world on media rights-holders (MRH) platforms. 

This meant every viewer watched on average nine hours of coverage, a 20% increase on the previous Games.

In the home market of France, 95% of the potential audience watched an average of 24 hours of coverage of the Olympic Games. 

The IOC’s own digital platforms and social handles generated 16.7 billion engagements, a 174% increase on the previous edition of the Games. 

A report outlining the figures was presented to the IOC’s Executive Board at a meeting held in Lausanne this month.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Paris 2024 demonstrated the unprecedented global appeal of the Olympic Games. Working with our Media Rights-Holder partners, more coverage was made available and watched than ever, in particular on digital and social media platforms. Engagement on social media platforms went through the roof, with a 290% increase on the previous edition of the Games. Audiences are following and interacting with the Olympic Games like never before.”