Pink’s Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Olympics viewership, the U.S. unemployment report and an amazing Olympics figure skater

In today’s newsletter, I discuss Olympics viewership, the U.S. unemployment report and an amazing Olympics figure skater.

MEDIA: Olympics Viewership

Viewership of Friday’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony across television and digital platforms totaled 16 million viewers, according to NBC Universal, which has the rights to the games this year.

For some context, more than 28 million watched the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony across the different platforms.

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Notably, NBCU said that digital usage totaled 190 million minutes of the Olympics across the entire opening day this year, which the company said was a record digital consumption for any Winter or Summer Olympics opening day.

As such, while the Olympics still deliver strong ratings on television, the growth in viewership of the games is coming from digital platforms.

MONEY: U.S. Unemployment Report

Despite the rising spread of the Omicron variant and the backdrop of rising consumer inflation, the nation’s economy enjoyed strong job growth in December.

According to a government report released Friday, 467,000 jobs were created in December, and unemployment essentially held steady at 4%.

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Notably, after revisions to some unemployment numbers for other months of last year, the nation’s economy created 6.6 million jobs for all of 2021, and the unemployment rate fell from 6.4% to 4%.

Those numbers show that the nation’s job market continues to show resilience though it’s unclear whether 2022 will bring the same level of job creation.

SPORTS: Amazing Olympics Figure Skater

If you didn’t get a chance to watch Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva perform in her Olympics debut Saturday night, you missed something truly special.

Valieva delivered a near-perfect performance in the short program, scoring a 90.18, more than 15 points ahead of the second place skater.

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Valieva is a remarkable talent who blends exceptional athleticism with true artistic flair.

She will likely become the transcendent star of these Winter Olympics, and she is only 15 years old so she could be a star for many more years.

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Jeremy Pink is currently an advisor to media and fintech companies around the world. He is the former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he helped lead the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC television executive in New York, London and Singapore.

The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.

(Newsletter Editor: Karina Pink)