NEW YORK: Even as the world's news media questions the readiness of Brazil to host the Olympic Games, starting on Friday, 75% of respondents to a US survey indicated they plan to watch the proceedings and most of them will do so on TV.

Mindshare North America questioned 1,034 adults and found that only the Super Bowl ranked higher in their sporting affections. And they also put the Summer Olympics ahead of "pop culture" events likes the Oscars or the Emmys.

The majority of people viewing the Games will be watching on television; 88% planned to follow events on that device, but a significant 23% of viewers indicated they would watch live on PC/desktop.

The latter figure more or less coincides with the proportion intending to view the Games while at work (25%).

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Around half (51%) said they watched the Olympics to see a specific sport and a broadly similar percentage (56%) said they gave the event they were watching their full attention – setting their phones aside for the duration.

But if they miss an event, 40% will be picking up those phones to look for the result on social media.

Overall, 38% of viewers said they were generally on their phones when watching an Olympic event on TV; and 35% said that they are generally on social media during an Olympics event. Further, 47% of viewers said that seeing the Olympics mentioned on social media made them want to tune in more.

The research also explored the opportunities for brands to provide content around the Olympics to enhance the experience for viewers. More than half (56%) of viewers aged between 18 and 34 said they would like to see brands provide behind-the-scenes content on athletes and team during the Olympics.

In addition, 45% of viewers ages 18-34 would like to see brands provide access to tips and advice from Olympic athletes on their sport.

Data sourced from Mindshare; additional content by Warc staff