Universal Sports Network and the Boston Athletic Association’s live video streams of Monday’s Boston Marathon, powered by UniversalSports.com, generated more than 555 thousand live video starts. With an average length of 30 minutes viewing time, this accounted for nearly 18.4 million minutes of live streaming.
Traffic came from more than 510 thousand unique visitors. Peak viewing came between 11:00 ET and midday, which coincided with the conclusion of the women’s and men’s elite finishes.
Mobile devices accounted for 36% of total page views, which represents a dramatic increase in mobile viewing over the 19% of total page views in 2014.
“Live streaming and online consumption of digital content for the 2015 Boston Marathon exceeded our expectations,” said Edward Derse, Universal Sports’ SVP of digital media and strategic partnerships. “Recent design changes to UniversalSports.com have contributed to better overall user experience on both desktop and mobile, and we are thrilled that fans continue to log on to watch one of this country’s greatest sporting events.”
In addition to live streaming of the 119th running of Boston’s epic event, television coverage of the 2015 Boston Marathon was made available nationwide across the US via free previews from many of the network’s distribution partners. Universal Sports Network is the exclusive national television and digital media home of the Boston Marathon.
Universal Sports Network, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, offers more than 1,200 hours of original programming each year. Universal Sports has exclusive rights to world and national championship events in a wide array of sports, including swimming, track and field, gymnastics, cycling, skiing, figure skating and rugby.
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2015. The 119th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, 20 April 2015.
