Olympic TV Viewership Not Likely to be Affected by Time Delay

  • by September 21, 2000
By Anya Khait

A fifteen-hour time difference between the U.S. and Sydney isn't preventing Olympic fans from staying on top of things. Twenty percent of Americans will try to get a sneak-peek at Olympic results before the event is televised in the U.S., according to a survey of 501 respondents ages 12 and over conducted by The ESPN Sports Poll, a product of Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch (TNS Intersearch). Due to NBC's decision to show The Olympics on tape-delay during prime time, Americans see events the day after they take place. Not surprisingly, the more avid Olympic fans are more likely to search for results ahead of time. Twenty-seven percent of Olympic fans said they would preview scores, compared to only 9% of those not interested in the Olympics. Will TV viewership be affected for those who know results ahead of time? Among those who say they will search for scores, the answer is no. In fact, more than half (55%) said knowing the results will make them more likely to watch the event the next day. Only twenty-nine percent said it would make them less likely to watch. "It may seem surprising that those who want to know the results as they happen would then be more likely to tune into the event," said Tracy Schoenadel, VP of the Sport Event and Sponsorship Division of TNS Intersearch. "Having the results ahead of time, however, can actually act as a fabulous teaser, whetting viewers' appetites to see how the final score came about." Across the entire spectrum of the American public, the story was different. Forty-three percent of those surveyed said they would be less likely to watch an Olympic event if they knew the results, while only 24% said they would be more likely.

- MediaPost Staff Writer Anya Khait may be reached at anya@mediapost.com

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