Broadcasters, national teams, sponsors and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are all tapping online influencers, or content creators, to attract younger generations to the biggest sporting event.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said the scale of the Paris Olympics was a “one-of-a-kind event.” “Our creators are incredibly creative. They know how to connect with their audiences, and they’re constantly inventing new sports formats. It’s all about this moment,” he said.
The moves come as an experiment by rights holders to broaden their audience. The IOC has also added urban sports, such as skateboarding and breakdancing, to its programming to reach younger fans.
NBC's Sandra Kwon's first assignment was to watch fencing. Photo: FT montage
Content creator Sandra Kwon often makes videos sharing funny stories and travel tips. Now, with the help of NBC in the US, she is in the French capital to provide behind-the-scenes clips of the Paris Olympics to her more than 10 million followers on her TikTok channel "Jeenie Weenie."
"I'm not a sports person. But I'm still here at the Olympics, which is crazy. I went to the opening ceremony. It was amazing," Kwon said. NBC's first assignment for Kwon was to watch fencing inside the Grand Palais, one of the most eye-catching venues in the French capital.
"I don't know the rules of fencing. Honestly, everyone I ask here doesn't know what fencing is. It's okay, I'll show you what fencing is," she says, halfway up the impressive winding staircase of the Grand Palais in the short video.
The video, which includes an explanation of the scoring system, has been viewed 183,000 times to date.
Major broadcasters like NBC and Eurosport have also turned to creators to bring the Summer Olympics closer to a younger generation of viewers. Creators have brought new opportunities for both content distribution and marketing of core broadcast assets, said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics.
“There are definitely audiences, especially younger generations, who spend more time on short-form content than on traditional long-form programming. We will reach them through these platforms,” Zenkel said.
Another British food creator, Underrated Hijabi, who has 1.8 million followers on YouTube and 3.5 million on TikTok, was invited to Paris by European channel Eurosport to make videos about equestrian events taking place at the Palace of Versailles.
British food influencer Underrated Hijabi was invited by Eurosport to make videos about equestrian events. Photo: FT montage
With a combined audience of more than 66 million, the six YouTubers NBC has chosen hope to help viewers improve their Olympic viewing experience, giving them perspectives that traditional broadcasts don't offer.
“What does an athlete or a team eat for breakfast in the Olympic Village? What do people see on the team bus before they go to a soccer game or a rugby game? That’s what we hope content creators will fill,” said Scott Young, who oversees sports content and production at Warner Bros Discovery in Europe.
Earlier this week, women's gymnast Simone Biles posted a five-second TikTok video about the U.S. gymnastics team. However, the clip has now been viewed more than 48 million times.
However, there are still tight restrictions on content creators posting athlete interviews and live footage from competitions. But the IOC has loosened some rules to allow athletes to post social media content from inside competition venues.
Rollo Goldstaub, director of global sports partnerships at TikTok, hopes these small changes will increase athlete-generated content, which users have been very receptive to.
Hoai Phuong (according to FT)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cac-dai-truyen-hinh-su-dung-tiktoker-va-youtuber-de-thu-hut-khan-gia-tai-olympic-post306374.html
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