The broadcasting giant, Globo, has expressed its concern regarding the absence of the Brazilian men’s football team in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, which are slated for July of this year. The team suffered a 1-0 loss to Argentina on the 11th in the Pre-Olympic games, failing to secure either of the two spots in the tournament that eventually went to Argentina and Paraguay. It is important to note, however, that the women’s football team has secured their place in the tournament.
Although the Olympic team generally comprises of players under the age of 23 and thus lacks some of the bigger stars, the men’s football matches have consistently drawn record-breaking audiences for the event. This, in turn, increases the overall average viewership, which is a key factor for attracting sponsors and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In the past four Olympic events, whether they were broadcasted by Globo or Record, men’s football games have been the most watched. For instance, the Brazil vs Argentina semi-final match in the 2008 Beijing men’s football Olympic tournament attracted an audience of 31 points in Greater São Paulo.
In 2012, the final match where Brazil lost to Mexico saw Record achieving its highest viewership for London 2012, averaging 17 points with peaks of 21 in São Paulo’s capital. Comparatively, Globo only managed six points. This year, Edir Macedo’s broadcasting company gained exclusive rights to air the Games on open TV.
In 2016, Globo set a record at the Rio Olympics when the Brazilian men’s football team won their first gold medal in the final against Germany. The match garnered an astounding 38 points with spikes of 43 in the city of São Paulo.
Most recently, in Tokyo 2021, Brazil’s second championship in men’s football against Spain set a new record for Olympic broadcasts with 21 points and peaks of 24. Currently, each point is equivalent to 191 thousand viewers.
Globo has already initiated plans for the broadcast of the Paris Games. The commercial package is already on the market and negotiations with sponsors are well underway. Despite the high potential revenue, the broadcaster is not planning to invest heavily in sending professionals to the event. Most of the narrators and commentators will stay in Brazil, a strategy inspired by their approach for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Last year, due to the rise in Covid-19 cases and the infancy of vaccination efforts, Globo only sent reporters and producers to Japan. Despite the current control of the disease, the plan is to maintain this strategy this year, with only a few staff members on site.
Estúdios Globo will be utilized to establish a major transmission center, where SporTV programs and the Olympics Central will be broadcasted. The latter will be presented by Tadeu Schmidt on open TV, marking his special return to sports.
In terms of advertising, the broadcaster stands to raise R$400 million if all commercial opportunities are sold. The company has made six quotas available for those interested in participating in the Olympic coverage on open TV and digital platforms.
