Broadcast TV outperformed streaming during Summer Olympic Games
While Peacock was seen as the big innovator of the 2024 Summer Games, ratings data showed most Americans preferred watching on free broadcast TV over streaming platforms.
Last month, Richard Schneider received a note that was more exciting than it was problematic: One key Amazon distribution center was running dangerously low on inventory of his indoor and outdoor antennas. Would he be able to send more — and quickly?
“Our Amazon sales were so high, we had to hotshot a pallet of antennas to the distribution center,” Schneider, the CEO of Antennas Direct, told The Desk in an interview last week.
Schneider is used to seeing sales of his TV antennas spike during parts of the year — as more TV enthusiasts drop their expensive cable and satellite subscriptions, they’re turning to a mixture of broadcast TV and streaming video platforms to satiate their needs.
Sports fans, in particular, are among those who are increasingly using antennas. Schneider says Antennas Direct — which makes indoor and outdoor antennas under its own brand, and acquired leaf-style antenna pioneer Mohu some years back — typically sees higher sales around mid-August, to coincide with the start of pre-season football.
This year, the sales spike happened about a month earlier than expected, with sports fans eager to watch NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games from Paris.
“We almost hit a sales record in July,” Schneider said. “Our sales were up 70 percent year-over-year.”