Comcast’s NBCUniversal has achieved success with its coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics, witnessing a substantial surge in viewership across its various platforms. The company reported an average daily audience of 30.6 million viewers, an 82% increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
It is clear that the company’s investment in multi-platform broadcasting and streaming has paid off – it integrated traditional broadcast methods with modern streaming services. The coverage spanned NBC’s broadcast network, cable channels like USA, and the Peacock streaming service.
Peacock, Comcast’s streaming service, played a crucial role in this success. Despite trailing behind competitors like Netflix and Disney+ in total subscribers, Peacock capitalized on the Olympics and service offered viewers the ability to stream all 329 medal events on demand, a feature that attracted a significant audience. The “Gold Zone,” a daily program that highlighted live events, was particularly well-received, drawing praise for its dynamic coverage.
The Paris Olympics set new records for streaming, with NBCUniversal reporting 23.5 billion minutes of viewing time across its digital platforms, a 40% increase compared to all previous Olympic Games combined in the streaming era.
On average, 4.1 million viewers per day streamed the Olympics, primarily through Peacock. This is a significant achievement for the platform, considering the challenges of competing in a crowded streaming market.
The closing ceremony alone attracted a U.S. audience of 20.8 million, more than doubling the viewership of Tokyo’s closing ceremony. The event, held at Stade de France, was a spectacle of aerial performances and musical acts, including a performance by the French rock band Phoenix. Notably, actor Tom Cruise made a dramatic entrance by ziplining down to the stage, symbolically bringing the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Summer Games.
From a financial perspective, the Paris Olympics was a major win for NBCUniversal. The company reported selling more advertising for the Paris Games than any previous Olympics, demonstrating the event’s strong commercial appeal. Mark Lazarus, Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, highlighted the “halo effect” of the Olympics, which boosted the company’s other businesses, including its parks and studios.
NBCUniversal’s success also extended to its news divisions. During the Olympics, both the “Today” show and “NBC Nightly News” outperformed their network competitors, with increased viewership attributed to the Olympics’ influence. The “Today” show averaged 3.1 million viewers, while “NBC Nightly News” grew to 7.64 million viewers during the games, compared to their pre-Olympics numbers of 2.52 million and 5.73 million, respectively.
The Paris 2024 Olympics not only outperformed Tokyo 2020 but also held its ground against earlier Games. The average viewership of 30.6 million for Paris compares favorably to the 2016 Rio Olympics (27.5 million) and the 2012 London Olympics (30.3 million). These numbers are particularly impressive given the evolution of media consumption and the increasing dominance of streaming platforms.
The Tokyo Games, held in 2021, were among the least-watched in recent history, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the time difference between Tokyo and the U.S. In contrast, Paris’ closer time zone to the U.S. and the return of spectators to venues contributed to the resurgence in viewership.
