Opening Day of Milano Cortina Olympics Was Most-Watched Winter Games Since 2014

The opening Saturday of the Milano Cortina Games was the most-watched day of Olympics coverage since 2014, averaging 28.5 million views across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC, the network said Sunday.

Saturday boasted the largest audience in 43 nights of Winter Games coverage since Day 10 of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The day’s events included performances from Team USA figure skating stars Ilia Malinin, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the women’s hockey game against Finland, and a snowboard competition featuring high school student Ollie Martin.

Peacock led the pack with 4.1 million viewers across NBCUniversal digital platforms. Viewers also recorded 1.3 billion minutes of Milan Cortina coverage on Saturday, the first time more than 1 billion minutes were streamed on any Winter Olympics coverage day.

NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which are scheduled for Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028), French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032), Utah (2034), and the 2036 Summer Games.

The Opening Ceremony of this year’s Games saw a 34% increase in viewership over the 2022 Games in Beijing. The 2024 Games in Paris brought in 28.6% million viewers across NBC and Peacock, a 60% increase from the 17.9 million viewers who watched the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2021.

Friday’s opening day was the most-streamed Winter Olympics, and the ceremony averaged over 3 million viewers.

“We are off to a strong start with Friday’s captivating Opening Ceremony highlighted by the historic cities, the scenic mountain areas, and the Parade of Athletes,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in a statement. “The Opening Ceremony audience exceeded our expectations, and we can’t wait for the next two weeks of competition.”

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