Despite being the first gender-equal Games, female athletes were covered in only 43% of Paris 2024 news coverage.
Female Olympians featured in fewer Paris 2024-focused news articles but generated greater social engagement than their male counterparts, according to a study by research and content agency Redtorch.
Confirmed:
- Social content produced by female Olympians drove 53 per cent of total engagement across TikTok and Instagram
- Female athletes were covered in 43 per cent of news coverage, whereas male athletes were the focus of 57 per cent of all stories
- Gender imbalance in news coverage was greatest amongst Olympic TV broadcasters with just 39 per cent of stories featuring female Olympians
- Gender imbalance also reflected in content produced by international federations and brands, which favoured male Olympians in 59 per cent and 58 per cent of posts, respectively
Context:
Paris 2024 was the first gender-equal Olympic Games in history due to the distribution of an equal number of quota places by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Despite this, the study by Redtorch revealed that female athletes received less coverage from traditional media, although they excelle on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Interestingly, four of the top ten most marketable athletes in SportsPro’s 2024 list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes were female Olympians. US icon Simeone Biles topped the list, while Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade ranked sixth, US rugby player Ilona Maher ranked eighth and swimmer Katie Ledecky ranked tenth.
On the social media front, Maher became the most-followed rugby player on the planet during Paris 2024 and accumulated more than 50 million views on her TikTok account over the course of the competition.
Comment:
“Redtorch’s ‘Beautiful Data’ study highlights that the global sports industry still has some way to go to satisfy the growing demand for women’s sports content,” said Jess Reus, head of communications and women’s sport lead at Redtorch. “Clearly, progress has been made as shown by the first-ever gender equal Olympics in Paris but all stakeholders have a responsibility to do more.
“It’s very encouraging that the rise in popularity of women’s sport shows positive momentum as female athletes achieved more social media engagement across different online platforms. Hopefully, this data will motivate broadcasters, federations and brands to continue to invest in women’s sport coverage so the next generation of athletes and fans can be inspired.”
Coming next:
The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will feature new and returning sports including flag football, squash, baseball/softball, cricket and lacrosse. The return of cricket will see the inclusion of women’s teams following the recent success of the sport.
credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/paris-2024-olympics-social-content-tiktok-instagram-broadcast-november-2024/