Olympic Games: believe the hype
In a continuing daily UK study, a majority (78 per cent) of respondents report that the television is the device they most often turn to for tuning into Olympic events. When more tech-savvy viewers watch the Games on ancillary devices, laptop and...
In a continuing daily UK study, a majority (78 per cent) of respondents report that the television is the device they most often turn to for tuning into Olympic events.
When more tech-savvy viewers watch the Games on ancillary devices, laptop and desktop computers are the most popular (90 per cent); smartphones are used by more than one-third of respondents (34 per cent), and tablet computers are used less frequently (12 per cent).
While TV continues to be the Olympics-viewing device of choice, there appears to be truth to the ubiquitous ‘social Olympics’ claims. Most viewers don’t give the tube their full attention: nearly half of respondents report that they use social media while watching the Games (47 per cent).
Most often, these social viewers are engaging on Facebook (86 per cent), Tweeting (40 per cent), or watching videos on Youtube (40 per cent). And they’re not just connecting with their mates online – they’re engaging with the Olympics.
Thirty-eight per cent of respondents using social media either follow the London 2012 Olympic Games on Twitter (@London2012) or ‘Like’ the page on Facebook, while just over one-third (36 per cent) follow an Olympic athlete on social media, giving credence to the social hype surrounding the Games.
And who are they following? Usain Bolt (28 per cent), Jessica Ennis (16 per cent), and Bradley Wiggins (six per cent) drew the highest numbers of social fans.