Why the Discovery+ Olympics campaign is better than you think

In the UK, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), not the BBC, is the main rights holder, with the network hosting every game and ceremony on its streaming service Discovery+. At Tokyo 2020, this upset many viewers who expected all Olympic coverage to be free-to-air and many of whom were not familiar with Discovery+; the same mood has been felt at this year’s Games.

There have been rumblings about WBD’s marketing approach. One commentator, Scott Bryan, wrote on X: “Yet again find it bizarre that Discovery+ have all of the Olympics this year and yet I haven’t seen them promote this anywhere.”

Yet again find it bizarre that Discovery+ have all of the Olympics this year and yet I haven’t seen them promote this anywhere.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) July 20, 2024

Two weeks ago, the BBC released its minute-long animated spot that leans on Paris as the so-called city of love by blending romantic scenes into scenes from the Olympic games. It is highly emotive, with the narrator comparing the pain of love to the pain and gain that athletes go through.

Discovery’s spot, by contrast, is live-action and puts an Olympics viewer into the sport. The spot tries to land the message that Discovery+ has all the coverage and is available across multiple platforms, giving audiences control to pick what they want when they want it. The behind-the-scenes cut-down explained that the collage treatment used across video and statics is a way to represent the "exhaustive coverage and multitude” of the sports available.

Along with the official trailer WBD released a campaign to encourage people to get behind Refugee Olympic Team titled ‘Home Crowd’. The ad re-recorded a version of David Bowie’s Heroes with refugee athletes and a choir in Paris.

Melissa Robertson, chief executive officer at Dark Horses, says it is part of the responsibility of the broadcasters to build “hype” and market the Olympics. Generally, local broadcasters do this well, she says. “The BBC creates iconic trailers for all the Games it covers and Paris 2024 is no different. It’s good classic brand marketing. It focuses on emotion and national pride – it’s chest-puffing stuff.”

In contrast, Discovery has “gone for a fairly functional spot that predictably shows off its streaming features (and flexibility) as much as it builds emotion,” she argues. Despite not being enamored by Discovery’s spot, Robertson does acknowledge that it has to work in 50 countries, translated into 20 languages. “So, of course, it’s going to feel more generic and a little flat,” she says.

She goes on to say that the spot also feels “cheap,” which is the ultimate problem with the deal, Robertson says. Max, Discovery and Eurosport are still niche brands, she says; not many people have heard of them. “It all adds to cheapen the feel of the whole event. It feels slightly less special and precious. More like just another sporting event.”

According to YouGov, Discovery+ ranks 27th in the most famed TV channel list in the UK and 17th for popularity. Eurosport is even lower, ranking at 43 for fame and 62 for popularity. A survey by Ampere Analysis in Q1 2024 also showed that only 8% of internet users had watched Eurosport in the past month, compared with 54% who had watched BBC’s linear channels.

For Adam Raincock, co-founder of sports marketing agency The Space Between, it was a fast start for the BBC, but Discovery+ could finish the games in a strong position. “The BBC has been quick out the blocks with an emotive led campaign using love as the theme to connect Paris, the athletes and the audience. Creatively, it targets the widest possible audience via emotion, which, as the marketing effectiveness gurus tell us, is the best way to sell.”

Discovery+, though, is disadvantaged by the fact it needs to explain what it is and where to watch it – “creatively, it’s weighed down by that,” says Raincock. While it also uses Paris as a backdrop, he believes this feels functional rather than emotive. While still crediting it as a “solid piece of marketing,” he adds that it doesn’t “grab you” in the same way the BBC’s spot does.

But with ‘product’ being one of the 4 Ps of marketing, Discovery+ ultimately has a vital key advantage, says Rainscock. “This is where Discovery+ has the chance to catch the BBC. While the masses will sleepwalk into watching the BBC, they will (like in Tokyo) feel the pain of disappointment with the reduced range of live coverage and the risk of missing key moments.” WBD was clever to reduce the Discovery+ subscription fee for the Olympics, which should offset the frustration – a subscription costs £3.99 a month. “It’s a race between two broadcasters worth watching until the end.”

Ultimately, it’s hard to pitch WBD’s marketing against the BBC as their campaigns must do two different jobs.

Dan Tunna, a marketing consultant, worked for WBD on the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, the first games the broadcaster covered. He says that since WBD’s marketing strategy has been far more targeted to drive subscriptions, it used more performance and programmatic advertising, which “explains why it is perhaps not quite as visible” compared with the BBC. He has, though, seen ads on Sky, Channel 4, ITV and WBD channels, as well as out-of-home, print and local PR.

According to WBD, across both Max and Discovery+, Paris 2024 has driven almost a billion streaming minutes – more than seven times higher than at the same point in Tokyo 2020. The time people are spending on Max and Discovery+ has also significantly increased with average minutes consumed per viewer up 63% compared with Tokyo 2020. “Results so far would suggest they have done a good job," Tunna adds.

In all of this debate, Minal Modha, research director and head of sport media rights, sponsorship and consumer Research at Ampere Analysis, says what is forgotten is how much experience Warner Bros Discovery has within sport. “It’s not like it’s going to do the event a disservice,” she says. With Eurosport, the network has been broadcasting the tennis Grand Slams and the Tour de France for several years and it also has the US live sports channel TNT in its network group to pull on. “From what I’ve dipped into so far this weekend, it does hold up,” she argues.