For two weeks the games have captivated the world; be it inspiring performances from Michael Phelps or our very own Chloe Esposito, to the unfortunate lows of drugs in sport, or athletes committing crimes!

Alas, with Monday’s closing ceremony (with 614 300 total viewers) we bid a sad farewell to all-time-greats Michael Phelps & Usain Bolt and begin the march towards Tokyo 2020. Fear not fans… for Rio 2016 will be back in 2 weeks’ time with the Paralympics and hopefully more Aussie Gold.

So, despite some media stories to the contrary, the Rio games have delivered on all fronts. Seven’s coverage, be it linear TV (delivering +40% avg. prime time share), live streaming or social posts, has delivered +18m linear TV viewers, +36m online streams and over +64m social posts. Testament to Seven’s content, not platform, led approach.

Seven will hope history repeats and the Games afterglow results in greater viewership for Sunrise, News and back-half programming, and a greater share of the +$13B advertising pie.

Never before have consumers had so much access to so many sports across so many devices and platforms, be it at home, the pub, “work” or the local hairdresser.

There is a significant investment in media, content and sponsorships for advertisers and the savviest brands will have set the wheels in motion for long term partnerships with Athlete’s or sporting bodies, to ensure they develop stories and content for the future. In the case of Under Armour, they have literally ridden the wake of Michael Phelps success by being there to aid and support him on his inspiring journey, albeit not being an Olympic partner.

The final word: The games unquestionably cost and the long term legacy for Rio will not be known for years, however the success of Seven’s coverage is clear. Audiences love the games and so it remains one of the most powerful marketing platforms for advertisers and broadcasters alike. But like any great athlete, improvement is constant and we fully expect Tokyo to bring virtual reality and UHD definition viewing to the fore, carrying consumers and brands along for the journey like never before. Bring on The Para’s!

Sources: OzTAM (Metro), RegTAM (Regional), Combined: Metro + Regional. Broadcast Day: 2am-2am*. Reach: Network National Estimate based on min of 5 consecutive minutes viewed on Metro + Regional, Seven Internal Analytics and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Snapchat Analytics: Domestic data.