Aufschlag Zastrow
Aufschlag Zastrow is the Handelsblatt column of SPORT+MARKT Executive Director Hartmut Zastrow. It is published every second monday in the Sport Business sector of the Handelsblatt. Here is the current Aufschlag Zastrow:
The Olympic spirit tends to grip older TV viewers – the young would rather watch talent shows. Is the golden age of the games coming to an end?
It is actually quite sickening to think about: on Saturday night, our radiant golden girl Magdalena Neuner is taking part in the women’s biathlon sprint. ARD generates outstanding audience ratings – but what are the majority of Magdalena’s young contemporaries watching? Golden oldie Dieter Bohlen, in the latest series of “German Pop Idol” on RTL. Years ago it would have been unthinkable. All the other TV channels were reduced to also-rans during Olympic broadcasts. However, now the games are left behind by a talent show.
The world has been turned on its head: older viewers watch as the international youth of today battles for Olympic gold, whilst the young watch Bohlen. Why is it that new entertainment shows are suddenly eating away at the superiority of the Olympic Games, which used to appeal to all ages and levels of education equally?
For decades, the Olympics have presented themselves in almost the same manner. In terms of income, records continue to be broken. Around six billion dollars will be raked in the current marketing cycle between the Vancouver Winter Games and London Summer Games. For the first time, there are signs of saturation. The US TV network NBC, responsible for almost a third of the income, is making a loss from the Olympics this year. It is not succeeding to refinance the cost of the rights. The sales process for the rights period following the 2012 London games has been postponed. The IOC is making out that it does not want to carry the can for the short-term negative impact of the credit crunch.
In reality, there were signals from potential rights purchasers that they did not agree wit the prices demanded by the IOC. This certainly does not mean that the Olympics are gone and forgotten. However, the IOC will have to have a rethink. It will be impossible to maintain the virtual monopoly on TV, both in Germany and abroad. The biological clock in the lifecycle of the Olympic Games as a product is ticking. The key question is whether the product can be adapted to the new developments without losing its soul. The answer will determine whether the Olympics can look forward to a golden future.
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