Boost in ratings and advertising investment

On the television side, that of the Milan-Cortina Olympics is an operation that is giving satisfaction, on the Rai and Warner Bros Discovery sides, which hold the broadcasting rights in free-to-air (Viale Mazzini for 250 hours) and in pay and streaming for Wbd: on the Hbo Max and Discovery+ platforms and on the Eurosport channels (which are included in Timvision Play for Timvision subscribers and also visible on Dazn) .

In the age of streaming and permanent distraction, the Winter Games are proving to be a machine capable of catalysing collective attention. According to the Auditel data processed by Studio Frasi - and referring only to the Rai channels because, on the other hand, the streaming universe of Wbd cannot be measured by Auditel at the moment, just as the Eurosport channels cannot be measured now that they have left Sky - the most evident data comes from the Opening Ceremony: 9.4 million viewers on Rai 1.

'We must be careful when reading this figure,' points out Francesco Siliato, media analyst at Studio Frasi, however, 'because the total television audience has dropped. During the Milan Ceremony in front of a switched-on television set there were more than six million fewer people than twenty years ago'. It is the sign of an ecosystem that has dispersed between digital platforms, social media and widespread entertainment. Yet generalist television continues to represent the place where most attention is focused and still decisive ground for the advertising market.

In this sense, the Games work. Not only do they attract regular viewers, but also those who normally are not: "We are talking - confirms Siliato - about +227 thousand viewers in the 24-hour average, with an increase of +2%, and +410 thousand in the early afternoon with an increase of +4%".

Rai 2, which broadcasts the competitions free to air, doubled its ratings in the first six days compared to the same days of the previous four weeks, and even quintupled them in the 3pm to 6pm time slot. This effect was also reflected in the news: the 1pm News 2 gained 900,000 viewers, growing by 61% to 2.4 million; the evening edition rose by 91% to 1.7 million.