2024 will see a record number of international broadcasters cover the Olympic and Paralympic Games across 160 countries. In the UK, traditional host broadcaster (the BBC) will once again operate under a sublicensing arrangement with European rights holder Warner Bros. Discovery. That deal gives the BBC rights to 500 hours of coverage and just two concurrent live events - one for linear broadcast and another for digital only.
Despite being seen as the home of the Games, The BBC and other European linear broadcasters are essentially licensing broadcast packages and have no exclusivity messaging when it comes to promoting their coverage. Of course, this predicament is not specific to sports rights holders. At Allied we have supported film festivals promoting screenings of films on national release, with on-demand platforms with non-exclusive rights to content, and with premium large format cinema chains for whom the movie is not an exclusive selling point.
Our Strategic Approach
When conducting campaigns such as these, we take a number of steps to maximise efficacy:
- Identify and Amplify Unique Selling Points: We consider the unique benefits of the platform and highlight them with bespoke creative and copy. That could be a "download and keep" message, a "watch for free" message, highlighting the ancillary benefits (local presentation talent), or supporting local arts organisations for example.
- Enhance Visibility in All Creative Aspects: Some campaigns can benefit from parallel marketing activities (i.e., exhibitors who benefit from studio campaigns). It's crucial to ensure brand prominence and association for the brand.
- Set Clear, Actionable Goals: We strategically assess the goals and customize the campaign to precisely meet them. Considering the competitive landscape, we ask: Are there other campaigns already effective in raising awareness? With this in mind, we optimize your campaign to capitalize on strategic opportunities for lower funnel conversion, ensuring a targeted approach that drives tangible results.
- Engage Niche Audiences: To reprise the BBC example for the Olympics, that will be heavily focused on British talent and British sporting stories - the elements that are exclusive to their audience.
Capitalising on Paris 2024
With the Olympic games getting underway on July 26th, traditional broadcast partners around Europe will also be using the opportunity to tap into a broader audience set, or "major eventers". Tokyo 2020 broke BBC Sport records with 104M online views. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the men's 100m final had more than 5m live linear viewers on BBC One. But men's gymnastics drew 3.6M and 3.4M tuned in for the taekwondo final. British interest drove both of those figures.
At a time when sport is increasingly underrepresented on terrestrial television, broadcasters can tell a very compelling story to reach a broader audience this summer by leveraging local interest, dialling up regional appeal, and capitalising on high levels of awareness to drive tune-in for the moments that matter.
To hear more about how Allied can help you define your messaging and cut through in a crowded media landscape, get in touch here.
