Online audience for Olympics

Cape Town - As the world prepares for the London 2012 Olympics, about one third of Europeans will watch the showcase event online, a survey has found.

According to Riverbed Technology, the company that commissioned the research, the Men's 100m sprint final is most likely to be watched online according to 51% of respondents, followed by the Men's 100m freestyle swimming event and Men's Football Final.

With costs for high-speed broadband decreasing in developed markets, more users are turning to online platforms for video content and about 3 500 people were surveyed in the research.

"Europeans are changing their viewing habits. And global sporting events like Olympic Games often create traffic spikes as people use their PCs, laptops or mobile devices to watch their favourite athletes, get real-time updates on events, and purchase event-related merchandise," said Apurva Davé, vice president of products, Stingray Business Unit at Riverbed.

The company warned that streaming websites such YouTube should be prepared for the demand.