BUSINESS Bloomberg Businessweek June 10, 201918
ILLUSTRATION BY EVA CREMERS. BROWN: PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY SHUR FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK. DATA: INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE○ Localcompaniesarerollingoutrivalsto
Westerntumormedicines—ata thirdofthepriceChina’sDiscount
CancerDrugs
Westerncompanieslastyearbegansellingsomeof
theirhottestcancerdrugs,calledPD-1inhibitors,
withmuchfanfareinChina.Butratherthanquickly
conqueringthemainlandmarket,Americandrug-
makersMerck&Co.andBristol-MyersSquibb
Co.havefoundthemselvesfacinga surprisingTHE BOTTOM LINE Viewership for the 2016 Summer Olympics fell
at least 25% among 18- to 35-year-olds from the previous games. So
the Olympics will add youth-friendly sports, such as skateboarding.to an event. Skateboarding offers “snackable”
moments, short clips of stunts that grab the atten-
tion of users scrolling through social media. These
viral videos can help big-spending companies such
as NBCUniversal—its parent, Comcast Corp., paid
$12 billion for exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to
the Olympics through 2032—because the clips can
also draw viewers to full-length telecasts and give
advertisers more exposure.
At the 2016 Games in Rio, NBC was forced to
give advertisers “make goods,” or free commercial
time, after providing separate guarantees for TV
and online audiences and then coming up short on
television viewers. Such promises become daunt-
ing as more consumers watch programs both
ways. One way NBCUniversal has responded to
the pressure is by changing how it counts viewers
to include those who watch online in a total it
uses to price advertising. Still, the focus on pull-
ing in younger viewers, including those online,
is intense.
“We are maniacally focused on the genera-
tions to come,” says Jenny Storms, chief marketing
officer for NBC Sports Group. “The numbers prove
that they are engaged and part of the Olympics,
and what we have to ensure is that we are meet-
ing these younger consumers on their platforms
of choice.”
The IOC’s earlier attempt to capture youngviewers by adding snowboarding in 1998 drew
scorn from some of the activity’s purists, who
insisted its culture was incompatible with a com-
petition such as the Olympics. But snowboarding
became one of the most popular Winter Games
events. At Pyeongchang in 2018, a video of
American snowboarder Shaun White winning
an historic third gold medal on the half-pipe led
online coverage of the games, with almost 1 mil-
lion views on YouTube.
White, who also won gold as a skateboarder at
X-Games 17 in 2011, says he’s considering compet-
ing for a spot on the U.S. team for Tokyo 2020. The
prospect that he could become one of the handful
of athletes to win gold medals at both Winter and
Summer Games could add to the buzz in Tokyo.
Yet it’s Brown, who was born in Japan and
has lived there, who’s creating the most noise in
the runup to the games. If the British team qual-
ifies, she’ll be 12 when she competes in Tokyo. “I
am super excited about skating and surfing finally
becoming an Olympic sport,” says Brown, who cur-
rently lives in California and says she wakes at 5 a.m.
so she can go surfing before school. “It makes me
really happy to know that I’m inspiring people. It’s
just really cool to see more girls skating.”
Organizers of the games are hoping viewers
will agree. Yet even if skateboarding doesn’t bring
younger viewers back, it won’t be the end of the
Olympic Committee’s search for street cred: The
2024 Olympics in Paris is considering adding a
medal competition for break dancing. —Dave
McCombs and Marika Katanuma Brown, also an
avid surfer, practices
before school○ 2016 Rio
Olympic events
On the most-
watched day
Canoeing
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Gymnastics
Judo
Shooting
Swimming
Weightlifting
On the least-
watched day
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Boxing
Canoeing
Cycling
Diving
Golf
Handball
Pentathlon
Rhythmic gymnastics
Soccer
Taekwondo
Triathlon
Water polo
Wrestlingw