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Commonwealth Games wraps huge 7plus run

Live streaming was up 86% on Gold Coast Games in 2018.

7plus coverage of the Commonwealth Games drew the biggest ever digital audience for a Commonwealth Games, up 177% in BVOD versus the 2018 Gold Coast games – which was held in an Australian time zone – and up 86% in live streaming.

From the Opening Ceremony on Friday 29 July to yesterday’s Closing Ceremony, Seven was #1 every day with an average national network commercial share of 49.2%, #1 in 25 to 54s (45.8%) and #1 in 16 to 39s (47.8%).

7plus streamed more than 450 million minutes, with 7plus ranking #1 across the Games in BVOD with a commanding 50.8% share, and in live streaming (59.9%).

Night sessions attracted the biggest audiences with an average national audience of 897,000 total viewers, including 23,000 on 7plus, and ranked #1 in its timeslot in total people, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s.

Seven West Media Chief Revenue Officer, Kurt Burnette, said: “The Commonwealth Games on Seven, 7plus, 7NEWS.com.au and The West Australian captivated Australia and provided the outstanding results for our commercial partners

“After a record-breaking Summer and Winter Olympics and a home Ashes, the Commonwealth Games once again proved Seven’s leadership and global credentials as content creators and story tellers across all platforms. New and existing 7plus users helped drive massive streaming numbers, with exclusive content on 7plus, including Heartbreak Island, capturing a huge number of younger viewers.

“Our audience forecasts were not just met but exceeded. We delivered what we said we would for advertisers and did so around genuine magical, unmissable and unforgettable moments. We will once again take the key learnings and insights from the event to continue to innovate and enhance the advertiser and viewer experience in our plans for the future.

“Ahead of the must-watch 2022 AFL Grand Final on Seven next month, the Commonwealth Games highlights the power and value of premium sport to deliver young and engaged audiences across all screens, and it helped increase the leadership of Seven and its key shows in 2022, including 7NEWS, Sunrise and The Chase Australia,” he said.

Seven Network now claims #1 in metro and national so far in the OzTAM 2022 survey year, and #1 nationally in 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s in commercial share.

9 Responses

  1. We have seen a lot of people streaming some live events on TV platforms since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. The TV networks were able to promote a lot of events on the streaming platform 7+. last year’s Tokyo Olympics have been exceptionally high with more than 4.78 billion minutes streamed on 7+. As well, what I do like about the live stream is that you can watch the events live in HD and on replay.

  2. Coverage really has come a long way… the live sport is given good prominence now over rehashing the previous day’s Aussie wins. Having it all available live, and reliably on the app. I was really impressed. Listening to Bruce commentate the athletics each night was magic. Loved it. And do I especially care about the Commonwealth games? No… but it was still great TV.

  3. Were these the last Games that 7 have the rights to? Is there any word yet on if 9 were successful in their bid? I’m hoping they get the Melbourne & Brisbane Games. 7 have hogged them for long enough.

  4. Maybe I’ve been spoilt by Foxtel and Stan Sport, but I wouldn’t mind paying $20 for the comm games to be in 1080p (or even 4K) and commercial free. Watched a few cricket games on 7plus, and was annoyed by ad breaks every couple of overs.

    1. I agree that the ads were annoying in the cricket….not that they had adverts but there timing seemed to be time based (say every 10 mins) irrespective of what was happening in the game. Rather than a 1 30 second spot after each over, they just went to break in the middle of the batters back swing. Now they did resume exactly where they left off so nothing was missed, but still a bit weird. Otherwise, my 7+ experience was mostly positive. Yes, HD would be better. I think sevens past experience with attempting to charge for streaming has left them a tad traumatized so I don’t see this happening anytime soon.

  5. The digital rights will be even more crucial with the Olympics in 2024/26 also being European based. The ability to pick events and watch them “as live” the following day means the timezone is far less of an issue.

  6. It’s been pretty good ,all they need to do is go Full HD 60FPS and a more responsive app.
    I wonder when they’ll announce the bids for 2026 CG games.

  7. The success of the Com Games really surprised me. Were there any reports on how much 7 spent on the rights? I got the sense no one was interested and 7 reluctantly scooped it out of the bargain bin.

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