Opening Ceremony Overall Viewership Rating 3.0%
Low Compared to Tokyo Olympics
Impact of Changed Media Viewing Culture
"The archery finals were on the weekend, but we only received 7 orders in two hours."
Yang Mo (38), who runs a sundae bokkeum (stir-fried Korean blood sausage) restaurant in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, is recently very disappointed with sales that are lower than expected. Every year during the World Cup and Olympics, the restaurant enjoyed a significant 'Olympic boom' from customers wanting to watch the games while enjoying late-night snacks, but this year it has been unusually quiet, making it hard to feel the festive atmosphere. Even during the weekend when the Korean women's archery team achieved their 10th consecutive victory, only 7 orders were received at Yang’s restaurant between 10 PM and midnight. This is the same or even less compared to usual.
Yang said, "I expected sales to increase during the Olympics, but it hardly feels like it. Also, the hall isn’t crowded. Many around me also say it’s hard to feel the Olympic boom."
It has been six days since the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but merchants who hoped for an Olympic boom are expressing disappointment due to the lower-than-expected response. Experts analyze that the change in media viewing culture?from gathering around the TV to watch the Olympics to watching on other platforms?and the early elimination of popular team sports like soccer and volleyball have had a significant impact.
According to Nielsen Korea, the combined viewership rating for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony broadcast by the three terrestrial broadcasters (SBS, KBS, MBC) on the 27th was only 3.0%. By channel, KBS recorded 1.4%, MBC 1.0%, and SBS 0.6%. Considering that the combined viewership rating for the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony was 17.2%, this is a significant drop. The highest viewership rating for the women’s archery team final, which attracted attention as a popular event, was also below expectations at 8.3% on MBC (nationwide household basis).
On the 29th (local time), Kim Je-deok shot an arrow toward the target during the men's team archery final between Korea and France at the Les Invalides Archery Stadium in Paris, France, for the 2024 Paris Olympics. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, merchants who expected an Olympic boom are also expressing disappointment. Especially self-employed business owners who saw a surge in orders for chicken, dakbal (chicken feet), and other foods during sports events say the Olympic atmosphere this year is very different from their expectations. Ha Mo (32), who runs a dakbal restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, said, "I thought only our sales were low, but I heard even the most popular chicken sales are not much different. During the Tokyo Olympics, the festive atmosphere and number of orders seemed much higher than this year. Even considering the economic downturn, interest in the Paris Olympics seems very low."
Experts analyze that the shift in media viewing culture?watching only important moments on OTT (over-the-top) platforms like YouTube instead of TV?has influenced this trend. Moreover, with baseball excluded from the official Olympic sports this year and popular team sports like soccer being eliminated early, live broadcasts of these events have disappeared, making it difficult to stimulate consumer sentiment.
Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "In the past, many people would gather in front of the TV to watch live sports games and enjoy late-night snacks, but nowadays the culture has shifted to watching edited short clips on mobile phones. Also, since this period overlaps with peak vacation season, the number of customers visiting stores was probably not as high as expected."
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