Comcast and NBCUniversal experienced a significant increase in viewership during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with an average of 30.6 million viewers across their platforms. This marked an 82% increase compared to the Tokyo Games, making it the most-streamed Olympics of all time. The coverage generated 23.5 billion minutes of stream time, a 40% increase over previous summer and winter Games combined, while the Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo also saw a 26% jump in viewership.
The men’s basketball gold medal game, in which the US defeated France, averaged 20.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched gold medal game since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The success of the Paris Games in viewership shows the growth of Peacock since its launch in 2020, with a growing library of sports and entertainment content. Peacock streamed up to 60 simultaneous live events and 300 live events per day during the Games, culminating in over 3,200 live events.
NBCUniversal credited its success during the Paris Olympics to new tools introduced before the Games, including Peacock Discovery Multiview, Live Actions, and an A.I.-powered Daily Olympic Recap featuring Al Michaels’ voice. Over one-quarter of viewers utilized the multiview feature on Peacock, allowing them to watch multiple events simultaneously, a feature not available on traditional television broadcasts. The huge increase in viewership followed the record-low interest in the Tokyo Games due to a year-long delay and lack of a live audience.
The traditional television model has seen a decline in recent years, with media companies pivoting towards streaming platforms. Live sports have continued to attract large audiences, driving high viewership and prompting platforms to expand their sports portfolios to retain subscribers. NBCUniversal’s heavy investment in courting subscribers in 2024, including acquiring future NBA broadcast rights, is expected to result in a revenue boost following the successful Olympic presentation.
The “halo effect” of the Olympics also benefited NBC, with a boost in viewership across network news broadcasts such as “NBC Nightly News” and the “Today” show. While NBCU has not disclosed the number of new signups for Peacock during the Olympics, the company anticipated a surge in subscriptions. However, Comcast reported a loss of 500,000 subscribers for Peacock in the second quarter, highlighting the need to retain the likely surge in subscribers following the Olympics.
The success of the Paris Olympics for NBCUniversal underscores the enduring power of live sports in attracting audiences and driving viewership for media companies. As streaming platforms continue to compete for subscribers, live sporting events stand out as a significant draw, leading to a race to expand sports portfolios and retain viewers. The challenge for NBCUniversal now is to retain the increased subscriber base following the successful Olympic coverage and continue to grow its streaming platform.
