Few spectacles have the power to inspire and unify people across geographic borders -- even fewer reach over half the world's population.
With the 2016 Summer Olympics kicking off on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, millions of spectators will watch the events unfold in person. Their audience extends further still in the comfort of our homes: If the upward trend in viewership continues, Rio could surpass London 2012 -- which reached 4.8 billion viewers worldwide, according to the London 2012 Olympic Games Global Broadcast Report.
The Olympics' large scope comes with hefty costs. Using data from the Oxford University Saïd Business School, the team at PointAfter, a sports data visualization site powered by Graphiq, was able to compare cost and revenue metrics for Rio 2016 to previous Olympics.
In terms of infrastructure and operational expenses, Rio is shaping up to be the least expensive Summer Games since Athens in 2004. These tend to cost more than Winter Olympics (save in the case of Sochi in 2014, when Russia spent $22 billion in non-inflation-adjusted U.S. dollars).
Years of investment can add up for countries that pass through the lengthy two-year Olympic Candidature Process. How do host cities fair in terms of ROI?
According to data from the International Olympic Committee, most revenue can be attributed to broadcasting and host country sponsorships (which include corporate sponsorships of everything from operational and athlete training support, to advertising and promotional activities).
Diving more deeply into how broadcasting revenue has changed over time, the below visualization shows the breakout since Los Angeles in 1984.
Following a similar trend to costs, Summer Olympics tend to bring in more broadcasting revenue than the winter variety (over double when comparing Vancouver 2010 to London 2012).
Looking back even further, 220 countries and territories have broadcast the Summer Olympics since 2000, with the Winter Games catching up in 2010. This is likely fueling the increase in revenue over time.
In the 32-year window between Moscow 1980 and London 2012, the number of countries and territories doubled.
In a similar trend, they're being covered in greater detail than before. Those who tune in to catch any part of Rio 2016 will have plenty of opportunities, with 6,755 hours of coverage planned in the U.S. In contrast, Athens 2004 only received 1,210 hours of coverage, Atlanta 1996 a measly 171 hours. Those who were alive to experience Rome 1960 might not remember much, given it only received 20 hours of coverage.
All things considered, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for NBCUniversal. The network was awarded U.S. broadcasting rights in 2011 for the 2014 through 2020 Games, inking a deal for $4.38 billion. The agreement was extended in 2014 to cover the Games through 2032 for an additional $7.65 billion.
Holding the exclusive rights to broadcast Olympic coverage is a coveted honor, with two-thirds of Americans tuning in for London 2012, according to the Huffington Post. NBCUniversal saw negative profit for three of the last five it broadcast.
For those who want to experience the competition court side, ticket sales have varied over the years, with the Summer Olympics consistently selling more passes to the ceremonies and sporting events. Atlanta in 1996 sold nearly seven times as many tickets as Lillehammer in 1994. London 2012 sold five times that of Vancouver 2010.
While some might argue that these events are just more interesting, affordability might be at play. Looking at ticket prices since 1984 (not adjusted for inflation), they cost more for events in the winter. Vancouver sold fewer tickets than London, and charged $40 more per ticket, on average.
Merchandise is yet one more way the Olympics generate revenue. Beijing 2008 was a standout example, with merchandise licensing accounting for $163 billion in U.S. dollars. Like ticket prices and sales, however, there less of a trend over time.
A graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst, Quick is the goaltender for the current U.S. men’s hockey team in Sochi. Quick, who is the goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings, won a silver medal with the United States at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
Considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, Quick was named the MVP of the. 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 2012, he set an NHL record winning 11 consecutive road games behind the net.
At just 19-years-old, Carpenter is the youngest of Massachusetts’ 10 athletes competing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The daughter of former NHL player Bobby Carpenter, she currently plays forward for Boston College. In fact, Carpenter was the Turfer Athletic Hockey East scoring champion last year and finished seventh overall in the nation with 1.89 points per game.
Despite her young age, Carpenter has won a pair of gold medals so far on the international stage – one at the 2013 Women’s World Championships in Canada, and another at the 2011 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship in Sweden.
Born in Worcester, this NHL Hall of Famer represented the United States in the Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006 – winning a silver medal in 2002. Raised in Wilbraham, Guerin graduated high school from Wilbraham & Monson Academy and is a alumni of Boston College.
Guerin played an impressive 18 seasons in the NHL, winning a pair of Stanley Cup titles in 2002 and 2006 as a member of the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A graduate of Boston University, this St. Louis Blues defensemen is currently representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Shattenkirk enjoyed a successful collegiate career with the Terriers – being named to the All-Hockey East Rookie Team in 2007-2008 season and the All-Hockey East Second team in 2008-2009. He was also named a NCAA East Second Team All-American in the 2008-2009 season.
Born in Westfield, Bellamy played for the U.S. women’s hockey team in Vancouver and is representing the U.S. once again in Sochi. A graduate of Berkshire School, she was named Berkshire’s Female Athlete of the Year in her junior and senior year.
In addition to being named to two Olympic teams, Bellamy is a two-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and a three-time member of the U.S. Women’s Select Team.
Considered one of the best professional hockey players of his generation, represented the United States at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano. Born in Boston, Roenick played prep hockey at Thayer Academy in Braintree. After college, he would go on to play 18 seasons in the NHL. Elected to the NHL Hamm of Fame in 2010, Roenick is one of four American-born players to score 500 career goals.
Born in Charlestown, McCarthy was the captain of the U.S. men’s hockey team that won the silver medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. He was a member of the Boston Athletics Association, a non-profit sports association for the city of Boston.
This former NHL All-Star represented the United States in four Olympic Games in 1992, 1998, 2002, and 2006 – winning a silver medal in 2002. Born in Melrose, Tkachuk began his hockey career at Malden Catholic High School and would go on to play collegiately at Boston University.
Tkachuk is one of four American-born players to score 500 goals in a career, and one just six Americans to score 1,000 NHL points.
This Scituate native won a silver medal as a member of the 2010 U.S. Men’s Hockey Team in Vancouver. He began his hockey career playing for Thayer Academy in Braintree and would go on to play for Boston University. Whitney currently plays defenseman for the Florida Panthers.
This former IHL goaltender won a silver medal as a member of the 1956 Winter Olympics men’s hockey team. A graduate of Cambridge University, Rigazio played three seasons for the U.S. men’s national ice hockey team and 61 games in the IHL – winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy during the 1958-1959 season.
Best remembered as goaltender for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal, Craig stopped 36 of 39 shots on goal to help the U.S. beat the heavily favored Soviet Union. Born in North Easton, Craig would go on to play in the NHL for the Atlanta Flames, Minnesota North Stars, and the Boston Bruins.
Born in Boston, Barrasso was a goaltender for 18 seasons in the NHL and won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. Men’s Hockey team at the 2002 Winter Games. The youngest player ever to win the Vezina Trophy, Borrasso entered the NHL at the age of 18 after graduated from Acton-Boxboro High School. He won two Stanley Cups and was named to the NHL Hall of Fame in 2009.
This Harvard University grad is currently playing in her fourth consecutive Winter Olympics Games. Chu has won two silver medals and one bronze. In addition to her prolific Olympic career, this forward won gold at the Women’s World Championships in 2013. One of the greatest college hockey players ever, Chu is the all-time NCAA scoring and assist leader.
Born in Brookline, this two-time Olympian helped the U.S. win gold at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. A member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Kirrane went on to serve 38 years with the Brookline Fire Department and 15 years as the rink manager of Harvard University's Bright Hockey Center.
A graduate of Boston University, Drury is a two-time Olympic silver medalist – playing in both the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games. In addition to a successful International career, this former NHL player one a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche and is the former captain of the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers. Drury also won the Little League World Series as a youth in Connecticut.
Born in Danvers, Duggan won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She also won a gold medal representing the U.S. in the 2013 Women’s World Championship. Duggan currently plays for the Boston Blades, a professional women’s hockey team in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
This Needham native and former Boston Bruins head coach won a silver medal as a member of the 1972 U.S. men’s hockey in Sapporo, Japan. Ftorek would go on to play professional hockey for 15 seasons – including stints with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. After retiring, Ftorek coached six seasons in the NHL.
Born in Nantucket, Mleczko held lead the U.S. women’s hockey team to the gold medal at the 1998 Games in Nagano. She would go on to win a silver medal four years later in Salt Lake City. Mleczko played her college hockey at Harvard and helped the Crimson win a national title in 1999. In 1999, she was named the USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year. Mleczko is a member of the Women’s Beanpot Hall of Fame.
Born in Holyoke, Geran won a silver medal with the U.S. Hockey team at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Geran was the first American-born player to make an NHL team. He played a total of 37 NHL games – including 33 with the Boston Bruins.
Born in Withrop, Eruzione is best remembered for scoring the winning goal that propelled the United States over the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” game in 1980. In addition to winning a gold medal in Lake Placid, Eruzione also played four years for Boston University and went on to be an assistant coach for his Alma mater from 1994-1997.
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