NBC's Massive Olympic Bet Yields Record Viewership Gains in Milan
Four years ago, many industry observers questioned whether NBC's 2014 decision to secure U.S. media rights to the Olympics through 2032 for a staggering $7.75 billion was a misguided business move. With the network now celebrating its most-watched Winter Games in over a decade, those doubts have largely been silenced.
Viewership Soars with Strategic Coverage Shifts
According to data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, NBC averaged an impressive 24 million viewers across its prime afternoon coverage (2-5 p.m. EST) and primetime slots in Milan (8-11 p.m. EST and PST) through Friday. This represents a remarkable 94% increase compared to the 2022 Beijing Games. This surge marks the second consecutive Olympics where audiences have returned in substantial numbers, following the 2024 Paris Summer Games, which saw an 82% rise from the 2021 Tokyo event.
Complete viewership figures for the full 17-day period, including the United States' dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in men's hockey on Sunday morning, are anticipated to be released on Monday. "I think that the Paris Games deserve a lot of the credit for rejuvenating that interest and enthusiasm, and some of that momentum continued through to Milan," remarked NBC Sports President Rick Cordella from Milan.
Innovative Broadcasting Approaches Drive Engagement
Molly Solomon, NBC's president and executive producer for the Olympics, and her team played a pivotal role in revitalizing the network's coverage strategy after the Beijing Games. Rather than reserving key sports exclusively for primetime, NBC began showcasing these events live via streaming alongside its traditional network and cable channels. The primetime broadcast was creatively reimagined to highlight pivotal moments, enriched with additional interviews and in-depth analysis to complement what viewers may have watched live earlier in the day.
"How do we best make sure that we are continuing to tell the story of athletes after they leave the venues? I do think that one of the improvements we made from our Paris coverage was to follow the athletes to their after-parties and reunions with their friends and families," explained Solomon, who oversees coverage from NBC Sports' headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. "When Alex Ferreira won the gold medal in men's halfpipe, we went to the bar where he was celebrating. There was a Team USA celebration for Mikaela Shiffrin, where we were there for the toast, and she talked about not being able to help Breezy Johnson get on the platform. These athletes trusted us to have our cameras there, and I do think it made for even richer storytelling and taking the audience there."
Streaming Revolution and U.S. Team Success Boost Numbers
NBC adopted a broadcasting format long utilized in other countries while also heeding viewer demands for change. Although the network had streamed all Olympic sports since the 2012 London Games, it took a significant leap forward with the launch of Peacock in 2020. Through Friday, an astounding 14.8 billion minutes of the Milan Games had been streamed in the U.S., more than doubling the total for all prior Winter Games combined, which stood at 6.9 billion minutes.
Viewer gains were further amplified by the U.S. team's strong performance, a notable rebound from underachievements in Tokyo and Beijing, games that were conducted in restricted environments with largely empty venues due to COVID-19 protocols. For instance, Thursday's thrilling overtime win by the U.S. in women's hockey over Canada, coupled with Alysa Liu's gold medal in figure skating, averaged 26.7 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, Peacock, and other NBCUniversal digital platforms.
USA Network and Peacock alone averaged 5.3 million viewers for the gold-medal hockey game, setting a record as the most-watched women's hockey game ever. Viewership peaked at 7.7 million during overtime when Megan Keller scored the decisive goal. "It was truly a golden hour. We popped between control rooms, and you just never know what's going to happen," Solomon reflected. "The energy in our control rooms on site, we couldn't believe the confluence of drama and excitement, but that really is what the Olympics is about. It's unpredictable, thrilling, and it just coincided in the golden 64 minutes."
Future Olympic Coverage and Long-Term Strategy
NBC is well-positioned to maintain this positive momentum for upcoming Games. The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will feature wall-to-wall live coverage throughout the day, while the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps will see NBC revert to the successful coverage formula employed in Paris and Milan. The 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia, may present challenges due to most events occurring overnight in the U.S., but the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City are expected to deliver another live Olympic experience.
NBC holds the media rights to the Olympics through 2036, having secured the 2034 and 2036 Games last year for an additional $3 billion. "Paris begets Milan, and Milan will beget LA. I think the Olympics are just unique in many respects," Cordella noted. "The U.S.-Swiss curling match, there are hundreds of thousands of people online streaming. They're seeking it out and watching these matchups of these athletes; they probably didn't know about them before the Olympics began. It's compelling TV, and that's kind of what the Olympics does."
