Paris 2024 will be the most digital Games in history. It is easy to get the impression that everything is a game changer. That the consumption of content is not the same, that the demand for it is very different. That we now live in an age of personalised tastes and desires. 

Online interaction and massive audiences are a given, and you have to understand that generational and technological shift if you want to keep up with the coverage of such an event. And also in the way we approach it.

"The way we will consume these games will be very different from the way we have consumed them in the past. We will watch the competitions through streaming and networking. We will see athletes telling their stories on social media more than ever before, and that is fantastic for brands," says Ana Moyano, social strategist at Kosquare and the Puromarketing portal.

However, visualisation is different. It has nothing to do with what it was, and that influences the content and the way it is offered. If before it was a family or group event, with friends, a competition (the national football team match, the 100 metre race...), now everyone has their receiver and consumes what they want, when they want, via streaming or platform. 

And what about interaction? Everyone can now interact with an athlete, with those around them, or even with those watching the event live. This was unthinkable a few decades ago. 

The data confirms what a seasoned observer can sense. TV consumption is falling exponentially. For example, 3.5 million people watched Rio 2016. 3.02 million watched London 2012. Tokyo 2020 remains special: the pandemic forced changes that had been planned for decades to happen suddenly. 

That's why, according to Puromarketing, 64% of the Games were consumed via platforms and online. The data on the digital interactions of the games was simply spectacular and proved the theory that the scenario had changed: 6.1 billion interactions.

Kolsquare's latest report 'Paris 2024: The Olympics of Influence' provides data, as reported by Puromarketing, that explains what is to come. According to this data, the Beijing Winter Olympics saw 3.2 million interactions through networks. This reinforces the idea that the change in mindset is total and that those who want to succeed in this globalised and changing world will have to deal with these new resources.

Platforms such as TiKTok recorded 2.2 billion video views, according to Puromarketing. The official channels of the Games pointed to 530 million views on Instagram, 459 million on YouTube and 329 million on Facebook, which also leads to a clear conclusion about social networks. 

Firstly, the massive consumption of them and, secondly, that there is an evolution beyond them. They are surpassing themselves and the first ones to emerge and appear on the scene are falling behind the new ones that come with more possibilities and technological improvements.

If the Olympic Games want to win over young viewers and the new generations, and they have no choice but to do so, the traditional model is not enough. They have to immerse themselves in this new order and catch up.

But whatever the content, it must be of high quality and widely distributed. In the past, they would sign an exclusivity agreement to broadcast certain content and secure the audience. Now it is a bit fuzzy. They can do it, but it may not be as profitable because users can wait or access the content in other ways that break that exclusivity. For these reasons, as Puromarketing points out again, owners are making deals between different types of media and supporting them.

NBC has teamed up with Twitch, which owns the rights to the Olympic Games in the US. Now it matters as much or more than Eliud Kipchoge breaking the marathon world record in Paris in 2024 or fans knowing what the athlete ate the night before or how he slept. Getting closer to the inner workings of the star, making them intimate and human. Whether they like it or not, media owners will have to change their ways. And so will journalism.

The best showcase for entrepreneurs is Paris 2024. It is an opportunity for any company, initiative or project, whatever its size. There is no need for huge shows with resources and pharaonic tools. No, not at all. Personal stories, intimate tik-toks, personal videos, short and easy to consume content are now the alternative. 

Small entrepreneurs and their followers can compete with any big brand or media outlet. In such a polarised universe, no one can set the rules of success. The Olympic Games have arrived in the midst of this scenario, which exists in many other fields, but which has apparently never happened before.

Who would have thought that the opening ceremony would take place  on the Seine? Well, thanks to mobile phones and the equipment available, there can now be as many broadcasts as there are people at the event. And when that happens, the interactions can multiply by so many orders of magnitude that it is difficult to comprehend.