Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Attracts 21.4 Million Viewers on NBC and Peacock According to Preliminary Ratings

Key Highlights

• But for now, NBCUniversal is reporting that this year’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony was up 34% from the one that kicked off the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics — which posted 15.9 million using similar methodology.
• Related Stories LISTEN: Why NBC is Reviving Pilot Season; 'Love Island USA' Tops Luminate's Year-End Streaming Originals Report 'SNL' Cold Open Sees Mike Myers Return as Elon Musk at Trump Awards Show: 'I Feel So Emotionless to Be Here' Coverage of the ceremony, live from Italy, aired in the afternoon (“Milan Prime”) followed by a primetime presentation.
• Popular on Variety “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 prexy 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.” According to NBCU, the opening ceremony averaged more than 3 million on Peacock, making it the most streamed for a Winter Games.
• The company also noted that “Milan Cortina Olympics streaming consumption across NBCUniversal platforms exceeded 700 million minutes through Friday – most ever for a Winter Games and 2.5 times greater than the 2022 Beijing Olympics through the comparable time frame.” The opening ceremony also gave Friday’s episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” a boost, as the talker posted its most-watched telecast since Thanksgiving (2.3 million viewers).