LONDON: UK advertisers looking to take advantage of next month's Olympic Games will need to devise an effective second-screen strategy, new research suggests.

While the Games will be broadcast on the ad-free BBC, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Britons viewing them will use an internet-connected device at the same time, according to a survey of 1,000 adults by martech business RadiumOne.

"The large amount of second-screening enables sponsors and other advertisers looking to get in on the act to target viewers with a similar profile to the TV audience online during broadcasts, which they can't do on TV as it's on the BBC," said Craig Tuck, RadiumOne's UK managing director.

Warc Media Awards

Warc's Media Awards recognise comms planning which has made a positive impact on business results. Find out more and enter.


The most popular activities undertaken online by these second-screeners will be unrelated to events in Rio de Janeiro, however, with more than half (53%) of this group indicating they would be doing this.

But 31% will be using online chat/Instant Messaging to discuss what they're watching, while 30% will be searching online for event-related information and the same proportion chatting on the phone about what's on.

One quarter of second-screeners will be posting Games-related comments on social media or reading online comments. Sharing Olympic content is marginally less likely, with just 23% doing this.

The survey also highlighted how very different consumer behaviour around the Olympic Games is from other landmark sporting events such as the current European Championship.

Nearly all (97%) of Olympic TV viewers will watch it at home, much higher than the Euro 2016 (58%); only 20% were planning to watch the Olympics at a pub, half that for the Euro 2016 (39%).

But the fact that the Games are much less of a social viewing experience is good news for advertisers, argued Tuck: "attention is much more likely to be on the TV or a connected device than other people or surroundings."

He added that the moments that matter most for connecting online and TV activity are the most popular Olympic broadcasts – the opening (watched by 71% of Olympic TV viewers) and closing (60%) ceremonies and the BBC highlights shows (56%).

Beyond that advertisers can tie online ads to athletes taking part. "For example, Santander and Vitality Insurance can coordinate online ads with broadcasts of heptathlon events featuring Jessica Ennis-Hill, who they sponsor, as could Puma and Virgin Media during Usain Bolt's events."

Data sourced from RadiumOne; additional content by Warc straff