The 2016 Summer Olympics kicked off Friday with the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. Here's a look at the most important stories from the Olympics for marketers:
NBC Ratings Continue to Struggle Compared to Previous Games
Viewership of the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio Olympics on NBC dipped 28 percent compared to the 2012 London Games opener, and Day 2 didn't fare much better. Saturday's ratings, while strong compared to the rest of broadcast, remained down substantially compared to the opening Saturday of London 2012 and Beijing 2008. (Adweek)
Here's Why NBC Believes Viewers Are So Frustrated With Olympics Ads
Facing criticism for its Opening Ceremony tape delay and an ad load that many viewers felt was too heavy, NBC told Adweek that there might be a surprising reason for the backlash: the recent shift to commercial-free binge viewing on services like Netflix. (Adweek)
Team USA Ends Opening Weekend Tied With China for Most Golds
USA was leading the overall medal count at the end of Sunday, with 12 podium honors. The tally included three golds (tied for most with China), five silver and four bronze. Michael Phelps won his 23rd Olympic medal with his gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. (SB Nation)
Sunday Was a 'Dream Night for NBC' in Terms of Olympic Content
Ratings woes aside, NBC offered viewers a stellar mix of drama, results and exciting events, says USA Today's Erik Brady. (USA Today)
Snapchat's 7 Brand Partners for the Summer Olympics
Snapchat announced that it is working with seven official brand partners that are running ads in its Olympics content on Live Story and Discover channels. They are: Sony Pictures, Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, Hershey's, Dunkin' Donuts, Finish Line and Ford. (Adweek)
There's (Literally) a Little Gold in Everyone in Olympic Ad From Dick's Sporting Goods
Speaking of Dick's Sporting Goods, did you know that there's about .02 milligrams of gold in every human? You would have found out if you watched the opening ceremony, courtesy of a minute-long commercial about Dick's Sporting Goods by Anomaly. (Adweek)
How This Digital Agency Developer Ended Up Dancing in the Olympics Opening Ceremony
Isabella Silveira, a developer for the Rio de Janeiro office of digital agency Huge, danced in the opening ceremony at Maracanã Stadium. Adweek caught up with her to find out how she landed a chance to dance at the ceremony and much more. (Adweek)
This Powerade Spot Will Be Among the Most Hard-Hitting of the Rio Games
Powerade, owned by Coca-Cola (an official Olympics sponsor), is featuring 19-year-old amateur boxer and U.S. Olympian Shakur Stevenson in a short film. The story, part of Powerade's "Just a Kid" campaign, is about Stevenson's journey from Newark, N.J., to Rio de Janeiro. (Adweek)
This Emotional Visa Ad Celebrates a Refugee Olympic Swimmer's Heroic Act
A Visa advertisement, created by BBDO, looks at the story of Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini. Mardini is part of a team of 10 athletes, all refugee Olympians from Syria. (Adweek)
Twitter Gets Creative to Avoid Olympic GIF Ban
The International Olympic Committee banned GIFing the opening ceremony at the Olympics, but that didn't stop many from getting creative with their Twitter feeds. During the ceremony, Twitter users reacted with GIFs. (Mashable)
Channel Seven Slammed Over 'Woeful' Olympics Streaming
Channel Seven, which has exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in Australia, has received numerous complaints for its mobile app and website continually crashing during Olympics opening weekend. Some are calling its digital streaming services "woeful." (SMH)