A man takes photos of the mascots of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ad Paralympics outside the Main Media Center of Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 13, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games attracted more than 2 billion viewers, reflecting the growing appeal of the Games to global spectators that was underlined by China's outstanding organizational capabilities and robust economic strength, data from a report released by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) showed.

The huge and growing pool of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games viewers also constituted the bulk of the income for the Games' organizers, while lending firm support to them to financially break even, which is not easy considering past experience, experts noted. 

According to the IOC report, which was released on Thursday and based on independent research, a total of 2.01 billion viewers tuned in to watch coverage from Beijing across linear TV and digital platforms, representing a five percent increase in the audience for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. 

In total, viewers watched a combined 713 billion minutes of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games' coverage on Olympic Media Rights Partners' channels - an 18 percent increase compared with the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Those media outlets also had more hours of coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games than at any previous Winter Olympic Games, the report said.

An opinion poll conducted by the Global Times recently also showed that among about 1,300 respondents aged between 12 and 60 years old in 12 mainland cities, about 99.6 percent of the respondents said they had viewed video content of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games via livestreaming or other forms. 

Zhang Qing, CEO of Key Solution Sports Co, a consulting firm for the sports industry in China, said that the broadcast statistics for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games', which "performed very well," is a result of China's rapidly developing mobile internet network. It also shows that China has fulfilled its promise of organizing a digital Winter Olympic Games. 

"The success of the Games' digital broadcast is also an important matter for the IOC, as it signifies the realization of a digital internet strategy which Thomas Bach (IOC President) has wanted to push since the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games," Zhang told the Global Times.

Photo:VCG

According to data revealed in the IOC report, the IOC's Media Rights Partners had a record 120,670 hours of coverage of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Furthermore, the Olympics web and app platforms also reached 68 million unique users during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, more than double the reach achieved during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the report showed.

Bach also stressed that Beijing 2022 was the "most digitally engaged" Winter Olympic Games in history, the report noted. 

Some securities firms have projected the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games' broadcast coverage income to be more than $1.1 billion, surpassing the $900 million from the Games in PyeongChang. 

Zhang said that the actual numbers for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics' broadcast coverage income should not be greatly different from the $1.1 billion level, as this number is based on previously signed contracts. 

According to experts, the large base of viewers for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games not only generates large broadcast revenues, but also lays a solid foundation for other revenue channels like ticket sales and sponsorship. 

"Considering the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games' participation level and feedback, it should be one of the best Olympic Games in terms of economic performance, or even the best," Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Friday.

This also reflected China's strong organizational abilities resulting from its institutional advantages, as well as the country's market advantages, such as its huge population and strong buying power, that contributed to the Games' economic performance. 

Some statistics revealed in the aforementioned report also pointed to the economic success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. For example, it noted that about 1.4 million mascot plush toys were sold during the Games. 

The report also noted that the IOC saw a 128.8 percent increase in revenues generated from The Olympic Partners (TOP) program for the 2017-2020/21 period, compared with the period between 2013 and 2016.

Zhang Yi noted that it's highly probable that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games has managed to more or less break even, or even made some level of profits, which is not easy considering that China held the Games amid a fight against coronavirus.

The successful holding of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games will also pave the way for China to hold more international sports events, as international sports organizers gradually reach a consensus that China is an ideal place for holding such events, as they won't need to worry about viewers, public order and, theoretically speaking, economic performance if the events are held in China, Zhang Yi noted.