Go Canada Go! IDC Canada wanted to understand how smartphone users have been tracking the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The Survey & Analysis team conducted a short survey of its smartphone users panel on Friday February 7th, just after the opening ceremonies began, until Sunday February 9th.
IDC Canada found that:
The Sochi Winter Olympics is attracting huge interest. 89% surveyed said they planned to watch or keep up with the games.
Watching and keeping up with the Olympics will be a multimedia experience. Of the smartphone users watching or keeping up:
89% will use a television
60% will use a desktop or laptop computer
49% will use their smartphone
27% will use a tablet
Olympic-watching smartphone users will use their smartphones to keep up with the games in various ways:
78% reported they plan to use their smartphone to get quick event updates
19% plan to use it to watch highlight packages
14% plan to use it to watch live events
11% plan to use it as a second screen to get additional info while watching on TV or the internet
The CBC Sochi Winter Olympics app, which already has over 100,000 downloads on the Google Play store, is very popular for smartphone users, with over half saying they have downloaded or intend to download it.
9% say they have already downloaded the CBC app
13% say they are aware of the CBC app and intend to download it
31% say they were not aware of the CBC app — but intend to download it
IDC Canada views the winter Olympic Games as an event which will prompt many Canadian smartphone users to find new ways to interact with their device.
Tony Olvet, VP of Research at IDC Canada said, "While athletes are showing their mobility over snow and ice in Sochi, Canadian winter sports fans are turning to mobile devices to keep up with the excitement half a world away. Getting instant access to results and sharing in the medal celebrations is a way for many Canadians to enjoy the games during this especially cold winter at home."
