After a year of delays, the Tokyo Olympics is finally here.
But the growth in streaming is expected to lower broadcast viewership numbers. About 27.5 million people tuned into the 2016 Rio Olympics each night during Primetime, and around 86 million households had a cable or satellite subscription that year. This time around, the Tokyo Olympics are at least 13 hours ahead of the U.S.' main broadcasting hours, and 11 percent fewer households still maintain their cable or satellite bundles. On top of this, NBC Sports is saving the live feed of several popular sports, including mens' and women's gymnastics and track and field, for its streaming service Peacock in order to drive viewers to the platform.
But despite the protests and concerns over safety during COVID-19, advertisers haven't stopped backing the Games. While sponsor Toyota announced it would pull its ads running in Japan during the Olympics, it is still moving forward with its plans in other countries. In fact, NBC Sports said it has at least 120 advertisers this year, 80 of which are brand new. It is expecting to bring in more than $1.2 billion in ad revenue, which was the last benchmark set by the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"I think it shows a sensitivity to their specific region and a respect, which the Japanese people are known for, so I think it was the right thing to do," said Influencer marketing agency Takumi CMO Kristy Engels about Toyota.
"When you look at the other advertisers out of the major ad sponsors, no one else has pulled out to date so they're all sticking with their existing programs so you'll still see the Toyota ads running here in the U.S.," she added.
Sean Green, Co-founder of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, discusses which teams he's leaning towards and away from, who the breakout stars will be, and explains why UCLA, a No. 4 seed, will leave New Orleans with the title.
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BetMGM host Olivia Harlan Dekker gives her plays for some of the NCAA Tournament's biggest storylines, and explains why she is selling on both Coach K and - yes - Sister Jean.
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Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports, joined Cheddar News senior reporter, Michelle Castillo at South by Southwest to talk about Barstool Sportsbook and the NCAA March Madness tournaments. "What we really believe is that there's going to be the next generation of sports bettor, [who] will follow sports the way Barstool Sports follow sports," she said. "They'll like winners. They'll like losers. They'll like the storylines. They'll like the drama with the fans.”
Amy Purdy, the three-time Paralympic medalist and first double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder, made her debut as a commentator at this year's games, and she joined Cheddar News to recap the event. "I like to challenge myself because I was challenging myself as a Paralympic athlete myself," she said. "But then to be able to be a commentator and be able to, you know, support the game, support the athletes in a completely different way, it was a lot of fun."
College basketball forward for the HBCU Texas Southern University, Mimi O'Neal, daughter of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, is pushing for more changes in light of gender equity scandals in NCAA college hoops brought to light on social media last year.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Tyler Fulghum, ESPN betting analyst, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the best value picks of the remaining teams in the biggest conference tournaments.
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BetMGM host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down the biggest and best wagers on the quarterfinal round of NCAA Conference Tournament Week.
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