Max accounts for 80% of WBD’s streaming audience for the Olympic Games in Europe

In just two days, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max and Discovery+ streaming services drove more unique viewers to the Paris Olympics than they did to the entire 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Max, which launched internationally before the Olympics to attract new subscribers, benefited from strong momentum. Max accounted for 80% of Warner Bros. Discovery’s total streaming audience for the Olympics in Europe, according to WBD. Five times more streaming viewers tuned in for the Paris Games compared to the same period for the Tokyo Games, the company said. In addition, WBD set a new record for single-day streaming retail gross acquisitions across Europe during its opening weekend, beating expectations.

WBD revealed that the Paris Olympics have attracted almost one billion minutes of streaming across Europe so far, which is more than seven times higher than the same point in the 2020 Tokyo Games, and already accounts for 75% of the Games’ total.

Max and Discovery+ viewers are spending 63% more time watching TV (based on average minutes) compared to Tokyo 2020.

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are off to a fantastic start, with the recent launch of Max in Europe driving record-breaking audiences and engagement,” said JB Perrette, CEO and president, global streaming and games, Warner Bros. Discovery. He added that “the powerful and unique combination of premium films and scripted content, the best of real-life entertainment and many of the biggest events in international sports are bringing more people to Max and keeping them engaged for even longer.” “It’s still early days, so we’re excited to build on this early success over the next two weeks,” he continued.

Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe, “There is huge anticipation for Paris 2024, so it is a huge reward for us to see the quality of our sports production and the user experience of our streaming platform resonating so strongly with viewers across Europe.”

“In just a few days, we have seen how the combination of premium sports and entertainment is unifying audiences across all platforms,” Georgiou continued.

As the newly combined media company celebrates its first Olympic Games, Warner Bros. Discovery has centralized its coverage of Paris 2024 by creating a striking outdoor production center with panoramic views and ample studio space,

Called WBD House and built on the roof of Paris’s Hotel Raphaël, the venue is used to provide commentary on events in 13 cities. It houses four studios and three stand-up comedy stations, and overlooks the Parisian landmarks where the competitions are held.

WBD’s pay-TV channel Eurosport will broadcast 3,800 hours live, including all 329 medal events, while all 32 Olympic disciplines will have dedicated pages on Max or Discovery+.

Max launched in France and Belgium in June, after being introduced in 22 countries across Northern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Spain, the Netherlands and Central and Eastern Europe in the spring.

In an interview for Diversity In March, Perrette said he believed the Olympics would allow Max to hit the ground running after its European premiere.

“One thing we’ve learned, not from our competitors, but from what we’ve done, is the importance of (timing). Unfortunately, last year when we launched in the U.S., we had one of our weakest slates,” he said. “Europe is definitely our best because we launched with the second season of House of the Dragon and then we’re back with the Olympics. And then we’re going into Penguin and then we have the Dune series coming out at the end of the year. … So it’s an incredible time to launch.”