• by Todd Wasserman , March 1, 2022

The ratings are in for the Winter Olympics, and they’re not good.

TV viewership dropped 42% from 2018, according to The Wall Street Journal. That shortfall came after the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, which had recorded the lowest audience until that point. That also comes after the Tokyo games in 2021 drew the lowest audience since NBC started broadcasting them in 1988. It was also a 42% decline from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

While the pandemic greatly impacted the 2021 Olympics, it seems there was already an erosion in Olympic viewership.

Are there any reasons to feel good about the 2024 Olympics?

1. Ideally, COVID will be in the rear-view mirror. Pfizer executives predict COVID will become an endemic, rather than a pandemic, by 2024, according to CNBC. That means it will be will be a threat, but a smaller one, with a constant presence causing regional outbreaks across the globe, much like the flu.
2. The economy will improve. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the economic expansion that began in mid-2020 will continue on its way to a maximum sustainable level by 2025.
3. Paris 2024 will be the first Games fully aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. Paris plans to deliver a 55% smaller carbon footprint than the 2012 London Olympic Games, according to the Olympics website.
4. New sports: karate, skateboarding and surfing will be part of the 2024 Paris Olympics, while baseball and softball will return. 
5. Streaming. More than 50 million Americans have cut the cord, according to reports. Streaming currently has its issues, but NBC has two years to build up better streaming options.

Of course, these are merely predictions. Another variant could take hold by 2024, and the Ukraine crisis could lead to more issues on the world stage. But looking ahead optimistically, we can see the 2024 Olympics as a welcome return to form for the Olympics and the media that cover them.