Influencers are taking over the Olympics as more people plan to watch the Games on social media than on TV this year

YouTuber Kai Cenat is creating Olympics content for Snap.

The 2024 Olympic Games are around the corner, and influencers including YouTuber Kai Cenat and “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper are heading to Paris to contribute to the coverage.

Social media and influencers are set to dominate the Paris Games as audiences look for closer access to teams and athletes and a more personable perspective on sports than traditional anchors provide.

A new study by United Talent Agency found that 78% of US consumers who plan to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics plan to do so on social media, which is more than any other platform, and that 41% intend to spend the most time engaging with Olympics content on social media.

It also found that 75% of those who plan to watch the games are more likely to watch coverage from celebrities, influencers, and digital creators than they were for the 2021 Summer Olympics.

UTA IQ, the talent agency’s research arm, surveyed about 6,600 US consumers aged 15 to 45 to identify those who planned to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics. Among them, 1,000 were surveyed about how they planned to engage with the games.

“We found they’re really excited to turn to social media for Olympic coverage because they think it will surface the most culturally relevant moments and create community,” Emily Anatole, the senior director of cultural insights at UTA IQ, told B

The data explains why broadcaster NBC is tapping more influencers this year and working with the major platforms to expand social-media coverage around the Olympics. NBC is working with Cooper, for example, to host programming on its streaming platform Peacock and partnering with Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Snap, and others to send 27 creators to the Olympics to create original content. YouTuber Cenat and athlete influencer Olivia Dunne are two of the creators who will be on the ground with Snap. (Cooper and Cenat are UTA clients.)

Gen Z and millennials will be tuning in to get creators’ perspectives on the games

The involvement of more influencers this year also shows how Gen-Z and millennial viewers are changing the Olympics.

“As creators are viewed as kind of an authority to Gen Zs and millennials, in particular, it makes sense that they’re carving out a unique role for themselves as well when it comes to Olympic content,” Anatole said.

Anatole said many Gen Z and millennials will use social-media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to get Olympic coverage because of content creators like Cenat and Duke Dennis, who will help capture content for the games.

“TikTok is going to be a huge part of how they engage with it,” Anatole said, adding that, “for Gen Zers in particular, Snapchat shouldn’t be underestimated… it’s definitely a platform where they’re spending a lot of time.”

Overall, the UTA study found that YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok were the most commonly cited platforms that respondents said they planned to watch Olympics content on:

• YouTube: 81%
• Instagram: 75%
• Facebook: 68%
• TikTok: 58%
• X: 37%
• Snapchat: 20%
• Threads: 10%
• Other: 1%

Anatole said Gen Z and millennials are looking forward to unique, fun, and humorous coverage from influencers. Specifically, she said consumers are interested in lifestyle, behind-the-scenes, and athlete fashion content.

“The world can be so serious nowadays, and even the Olympics can be serious, but at the end of the day people are watching it because they want to come together and have fun,” Anatole said. “Creators try and create this tone a lot in their everyday content and not take things too seriously, which really connects with Gen Zs.”