2018 marks the return of the Winter Olympics – that’s a whole seventeen days of snowboarding, ice-skating and curling. This year the snowy event is being held in PyeongChang, South Korea and has been predicted to be the “most live” Winter Games in Olympic history, but how has the sporting event managed to tackle social media this year?
NBC planned to share the events across the world, so even those who aren’t watching on their televisions, will have a chance to watch competitors’ amazing feats on their news feeds.
Going for Gold
According to Twitter, there were over 187 million tweets about the Olympics that took place in Rio in 2016 and Facebook and Snapchat also had a similar amount of high engagement from users.
Social media allows everyone to get involved and comment on the events and with the Olympics uniting countries around the world, it only seems fitting that social sites like Facebook and Twitter can be such beneficial accompaniments to the sporting event as it connects individuals with each other. NBC are livestreaming clips on Facebook and are also posting to other social media sites, meaning we are in a constant flux of receiving news about the Winter Olympics. The sports are happening in live time and recorded versions are up on social media sites, so there’s less chance of missing big moments or having someone spoil the results if you’re not at home watching the television.
Most importantly, the events are interesting and will generate a lot of engagement. It’s a chance for people to network and get involved – social media creates an easy way for the broadcasters to create conversation and buzz around the events. With over nineteen million likes on Facebook, the Olympic page already receives lots of likes and shares!
In with the Olympian Crowd
There are Snapchat Stories that show all the events and others that are dedicated to the ‘fitness inspiration’ from the Olympians.
Sports like snowboarding and figure skating are the most prevalent among the recorded events, with videos of couples ice-skating reaching almost 2 million views on the BBC Sport Facebook page.
Smells like Olympic Spirit
Everyone coming together is the whole concept of the Olympics and social media helps to keep the team spirit alive. With the chance to engage with the events, it means individuals feel like part of the team too.
Social media also gives brands the chance to gain more reach and engagement by talking about and interacting with Olympic discussions. People can celebrate their country through comments and share videos of their favourite athletes competing.
Social media users can read the athletes’ tweets and posts, which creates a whole universe that people can be a part of. Therefore, we can watch the Skeleton event on the edge of our seats, from the comfort of our bed.
