The Evolution of Cross-Platform Media Use in the United States: Insights from Consumer Research and NBC Universal’s “Olympic Research Lab”

Abstract

As media technology is changing and consumers are adopting new technologies, many established habits are morphing into new ways of media use. As a result, established business models are being challenged and new business models have to be created. This chapter focuses on NBC Universal (NBCU) as the exclusive carrier of Olympic video in the United States and the decision-making processes that led to its video coverage strategy of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 in light of evolving consumer preferences. The chapter describes the learning from on-going research into Americans’ media habits, how those insights were applied to the Beijing coverage strategy, and reports on NBCU’s “Olympic Research Lab,” a major investment into research in connection with the Beijing Games, that gave valuable insights into how audiences prefer to experience media content in general, and Olympic coverage, today and in the future in particular.