YEAR IN
SPORTS
MEDIA
REPORT
2016
2016 NIELSEN SPORTS REPORT
YEAR IN SPORTS MEDIA REPORT20162
Welcome to Nielsen’s Year in Sports Media 2016 Report, a compila-
tion of media highlights, advertising and sponsorship trends and
consumer insights across leading sports properties. This year,
Nielsen Sports’ “FANALYTICS” platform – what we refer to as the
collective intelligence and insights around sports consumers –
continued to evolve. With the addition of Repucom and Pointlogic’s
solution portfolios, we are now even better positioned to help our
clients gain a deeper understanding of the sports fan.
In many respects, 2016 was a challenging year of the feld, as we
lost some of the most iconic legends in the sports world, including
Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali, Pat Summitt and Gordie Howe.
Additionally, we endured a challenging political season that
garnered many headlines, including Brexit and the U.S. presidential
election. And yet, despite all of the tumult, when we turned to
sports for salvation (or escape), sports delivered some of the fnest
moments and most indelible images of 2016.
UNQUESTIONABLY, THE MOST HISTORIC EVENT OF 2016 WAS
SOMETHING ALMOST NO ONE ALIVE HAD WITNESSED BEFORE:
In a thrilling series, which saw a meeting between two franchises
that hadn’t won a World Series in a combined 168 years, the
Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians stepped up to the plate to
deliver a true Fall Classic. Despite trailing three games to one, the
Cubs rallied to break the curse. An average of over 40 million
viewers tuned in to watch an epic Game 7, in what will certainly be
remembered as one of the most iconic games in MLB history. The
Cubs’ run to their frst championship in 108 years captured the
imagination of the country, as Game 7 was the most-watched MLB
game in 25 years and had an audience 71% greater than Game 7 of
the World Series in 2014.
In Rio this summer, Team USA enjoyed another dominating Olympics
in the pool, at the track and on the gymnastics foor, winning
an astounding 121 medals. NBC treated Olympics fans to an
incredible 6,755 hours of content, including 2,084 hours on linear
television and over 4,500 hours streamed digitally. Although the
average primetime audience was down versus the London 2012
Games, close to 80% of U.S. TV homes tuned in to the Rio Games,
as it reached 198 million viewers on TV alone.
It was also a busy summer on the pitch, as Leicester City completed
the seemingly impossible, overcoming 5,000-to-1 odds to win
the Premier League. While Leicester City was the club that stole
many of the headlines, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
continued to cement their legacies as superstars. Each player led
his respective country to the fnals of the 2016 Euros and the Copa
America Centenario. U.S. soccer fans tuned in at a high rate, as the
Euros fnal drew 5.3 million average viewers and the Copa America
8.7 million, up 593% from the Copa America Final in 2015. In
addition, Ronaldo and Messi continued to grow their personal
brands and enjoyed high levels of marketability, as they share the
highest N-Score (67) among active male soccer players.
Stephen Curry won the MVP award in a unanimous vote while
leading the Golden State Warriors to the best record (73 – 9)
in NBA history. However, the 2015-16 season will be most remem-
bered for LeBron James’ heroics in the Finals, as he helped
Cleveland fnally end its 52-year championship drought. In a
rematch of the prior year’s Finals, the Cavaliers–Warriors sequel
was even better than the original, as close to 31 million viewers
tuned in to Game 7. In fact, the 2016 series was the most-watched
NBA Finals since Michael Jordan’s Bulls won their last champion-
ship 18 years earlier. While James’ marketability sufered a hit
when he frst took his talents to South Beach, it has soared since
he’s returned to his hometown. His current N-Score of 78 is the
highest in the NBA.
STEPHEN MASTER
Regional Head of Revenue
Nielsen Sports
YEAR IN
SPORTS
MEDIA
REPORT
“ DESPITE THE PROLIFERATION
OF DEVICES AND
UNPRECEDENTED MEDIA
FRAGMENTATION,
SPORTS PROGRAMMING
CONTINUES TO THRIVE...”
2016
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