Milan Cortina Olympics are most-watched Winter Games since 2014
Milan Cortina Olympics are most-watched Winter Games since 2014
New ratings data from NBCUniversal shows it was a banner year for the Winter Olympics from a viewership perspective.
Athletes around the world were recognized and honored for their skills at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, but it appears NBCUniversal might have been the true winner of the Games. According to ratings data released by the company, this year’s Winter Olympics were the most-watched in more than a decade, no doubt aided by the robust streaming coverage found on the company’s streaming platform Peacock.
Key Details:
- Strong numbers: NBCU averaged 23.5 million people watching on all platforms from open to close of the Olympics.
- Topping the charts: The ratings make Milan Cortina the most-watched Olympics since 2014.
- Proud display: Nearly 17 billion minutes of Olympics coverage were streamed on Peacock.
NBCU cited Nielsen Big Panel + Data viewership, plus preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, to demonstrate that it had attracted an average of 23.5 million viewers across the afternoon and primetime viewing windows of the Games from the Opening to Closing Ceremonies.
That represents the best-rated Winter Olympics since the 2014 Sochi Games for NBCU. It’s also a jump of 96% from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which averaged 12 million viewers over the same combined windows — a hearty jump for NBCU. Of course, the time difference between host countries can play a part in American viewing habits, but the increase is impressive nonetheless.
The Peacock streaming service, which offered more than 850 live events over 17 days, drew 16.7 billion viewing minutes of Olympic coverage during the Games. The Sochi Games, the only other Winter Olympics since Peacock’s launch in 2020, came in at just 6.9 billion viewing minutes.
The success of Team USA no doubt played a part in NBCU’s great ratings for the Games. The Americans won 12 gold medals, more than any other Winter Olympics in the country’s history, and ranked second in the overall medal count with 33.
Thursday, Feb. 19’s gold medal game in women’s hockey between Team USA and Canada averaged 5.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched women’s hockey game on record. Viewership figures for the men’s gold medal game on Sunday have not yet been released.
All in all, it was a superb February for Peacock. The streamer helped NBCU to present the second-most-watched Super Bowl in history earlier this month, and with this new data regarding its Olympics ratings success, it won’t be a surprise to learn that the streamer has added a large number of new subscribers during Comcast’s next earnings report.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.