The Paris Olympics increased subscribers for NBC’s Peacock streaming service|@Paris2024|X
NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paris Olympics has been a standout success, drawing an average of 32.2 million viewers across TV and streaming platforms in the first 13 days, with ratings up 76% compared to the Tokyo Games in 2021, per Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
The surges in viewership marks a rebound from the muted 2020 and 2022 games affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. High-profile appearances by celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg added star power to the broadcasts, enhancing viewer engagement.
Gymnastics events featuring Simone Biles and Team USA proved especially popular, with 12.7 million viewers tuning in during daytime broadcasts.
The Paris Games also set new streaming records, with over 19.1 billion minutes viewed on NBC’s Peacock platform. This surpassed the 16.8 billion minutes streamed on the service for all previous Olympics combined.
NBC’s ratings exceeded expectations, allowing the network to sell additional ad space at premium rates. The success has also boosted Peacock’s subscriber numbers, although exact figures remain undisclosed.
Looking ahead, NBC plans to maintain the momentum for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, with the network holding Olympics broadcast rights through 2032.