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What is the time difference with Rio?

By John Buhler

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 21: Children pose with the Olympic Rings after its inauguration ceremony at the Copacabana Beach ahead 2016 Rio Olympics on July 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 21: Children pose with the Olympic Rings after its inauguration ceremony at the Copacabana Beach ahead 2016 Rio Olympics on July 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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So the 2016 Summer Olympic Games are in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this year? Is there a time difference to adjust for and will it affect television viewership?

Seemingly every two years, both the Summer Olympic and Winter Olympic Games have America’s interest, captivating television audiences. Given that the Olympics are held all over the world depending on the host city, how does having the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil impact potential television viewership?

While many in the United States would think that Rio de Janeiro is only in South America and therefore in the Eastern Time Zone, Rio de Janeiro is actually one hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in the Brazilian Time Zone.

So for folks on the Eastern Seaboard, the Summer Games in Rio will only be going on an hour ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. That means the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be two hours ahead of the people in the Central Time Zone, three hours ahead of people in the Mountain Time Zone, and four hours ahead of people living on the West Coast in the Pacific Time Zone.

How does this impact television viewership? It probably won’t, as people in the United States should have virtually no problem watching these events live. While it may slightly impact people missing the start of some events, this probably helps keep viewers glued to their television sets through the entire Summer Olympic Games because they will end an hour earlier than the United States is accustomed to in the domestic sporting events.

Obviously being one hour ahead on the weekends won’t matter because people watch the Olympics at all hours of the day on Saturdays and Sundays. Do keep in mind that some of the best events might start an hour earlier. Primetime for these Olympics might be an hour earlier than expected.

8:00 PM in Rio is 7:00 PM in New York, 6:00 PM in Chicago, 5:00 PM in Denver, and 4:00 PM in Los Angeles for the many Americans that don’t want to do the simple math. Opening ceremonies are on August 5th for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

For more 2016 Rio Games coverage, please check out our 2016 Rio Games category page.

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