Bahamas CARIFTA breaks viewership record

Bahamas CARIFTA breaks viewership record
File photo from the 2018 CARIFTA Track and Field Championships

FLOW says nearly one million viewers

The former Christie administration’s attempt to use the 2018 Flow Caribbean Free Trade Agreement (CARIFTA) Games to garner free marketing for the islands of The Bahamas, may have been successful according to statistics that put viewership at more than 700,000 across 21 countries in the Caribbean and The Bahamas.

According to Flow Sports, viewership numbers increased a whopping 25 per cent compared to the 2017 games. The games dominated daytime viewing across all Flow and BTC channels, making it the most watched edition of the games in its 47-year history.

“The unprecedented coverage of the 2018 Flow CARIFTA Games is a triumph for our young Caribbean athletes as we bring together their athletic prowess, with the inventiveness of our technology to extend its reach beyond our borders across the region and around the world,” said Caribbean President of Cable and Wireless Communications Garry Sinclair.

“We believe that by providing this level of visibility to our outstanding youngsters, tangible opportunities for personal development can now become a reality. This is what Flow brings to the CARIFTA Games and we are proud of the strong relationship we have established with NACAC, a relationship we hope to continue in the foreseeable future.”

During the event, the hashtag #FlowCARIFTA was the number one trending topic on Twitter and Instagram across the region.

The Bahamas snagged a second overall finish at the 47th edition of the Flow CARIFTA Games at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence.

Team Bahamas finished the three-day meet with 35 total medals: six gold, 14 silver and 15 bronze. The count is three more than the country won last year in Willemstad, Curacao, besting last year’s performance.

At home, The Bahamas was able to push past Trinidad and Tobago and inch closer to Jamaica after finishing second the past two years.

Jamaica won the junior regional meet for a 34th consecutive time, matching its medal count from last year with 86 overall, while Trinidad and Tobago was third with 17 total medals.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.