Olympic interest soars among Australian public as gold medal total hits new heights

As the gold medal count soars, new research shows just how much the Australian public treasure the Olympics in comparison to other sporting and cultural events.

Fading glory. Crumbling empire. Irrelevant.

They’re just some of the criticisms levelled at the Olympic movement in recent times, yet with a record 18 Australian gold medals and counting, all that negativity has been cleared with the same authority of Nina Kennedy over the pole vault bar.

And the public are lapping it up.

The Games are as popular as ever in Australia according to research from MKTG and dentsu Sports Analytics.

78% of Australians aged between 18 and 64 have stated intent to engage in the Games by telling researchers they are ‘very likely’ or ‘somewhat likely’ to watch the Olympics.

When compared to a stack of local and international sporting and cultural events, we are collectively more interested in our Olympic athletes than the AFL or NRL Grand Finals (65% and 55% respectively), or even Hollywood (Academy Awards 59%).

“Despite the naysayers, the Olympics still commands really high interest and intention to watch. Almost 4 in 5 of all Australians are at least somewhat likely to watch the Games,” says Craig Roberts, Global Head of Strategy at dentsu Sport Analytics.

“This is true globally as well. It sets the Olympics apart, even ahead of the FIFA World Cup across most world markets we look at.”

On the same measures, the Olympics is number one in Great Britain, France and New Zealand and only trails the Super Bowl in the USA.

The gold medal winning Fox sisters have helped keep the Australian public glued to Olympic broadcasts. Picture: Luke Hales /Getty Images

AUSTRALIA’S TOP 20 SPORTING AND CULTURAL EVENTS – INTENTION TO WATCH*

Summer Olympics 78%

Winter Olympics 69%

Commonwealth Games 69%

Australian Open (Tennis) 65%

AFL Grand Final 65%

Wimbledon 60%

Paralympics (Summer or Winter) 59%

Academy Awards 59%

Men’s World Cup (Soccer) 57%

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 57%

Melbourne Cup Carnival 56%

NRL State of Origin Series (Men’s) 55%

NRL Grand Final 55%

Grammys 55%

US Open (Tennis) 54%

Women’s World Cup (Soccer) 53%

The Ashes 51%

Vivid Sydney 50%

AFL Gather Round 50%

Australian Grand Prix (Formula 1) 50%

*source MKTG and dentsu Sports Analytics – Decoding 360 fan research, 2024 data.

The research also shows that while the Victorian Government is done with the Commonwealth Games, and perhaps every other eligible city in the world agrees, the public still have interest. 69% of Australians would be likely to watch the Commonwealth Games, second only to the Olympics, and more than the AFL or NRL Grand Finals.

These Olympic figures align with television industry chatter that Australian broadcaster Channel 9 has been very happy with its Olympics numbers, but also demonstrate the glut of competition for Australian sport in non-Olympic times.

Television insiders say viewership and streaming figures in Australia have been healthy. Picture: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

“Generally, we’re seeing no decline in the power of sport and entertainment properties to command big audiences across all demographics – fuelling broadcast rights and sponsorship around these big events,” Roberts says.

“But on the flip-side it shows that for smaller or domestic leagues and events, they’re having to compete against the world’s best and biggest – from Tennis Grand Slams, to the Super Bowl, and the Academy Awards or Grammys, for attention.”

What is particularly encouraging for the Olympic movement and Brisbane 2032 organisers is Channel 9 insiders’ specific excitement at its BVOD (Broadcaster Video on Demand) streaming figures for the Games via 9 Now. If the Olympics are exceeding digital expectations, it’s the strongest endorsement in 2024 of the value of its broadcast rights.

Roberts says it shows that the Olympics are still relevant to younger markets and that varying age groups can still aggregate around major events like we once naturally did if new delivery channels like streaming are treated as equals in the broadcast mix.

“The channel might vary – older Australians still tend to prefer TV, while younger have shifted to digital and streaming – but the power of the content, the personalities, and the stories in sports can’t be denied.”