NBCU dominates as Paris Olympics viewership soars

The Paris Olympics are off to a great start, with NBCUniversal delivering record-breaking viewership numbers. Following Friday’s spectacular Opening Ceremony, which drew a massive audience of 28.6 million viewers, Saturday’s competition proved equally captivating, attracting 32.4 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. 

Dominant force in Olympic broadcasting

This represents a substantial 83% increase compared to the opening Saturday of the Tokyo Olympics, solidifying NBCUniversal’s position as the dominant force in Olympic broadcasting.

Key highlights from Saturday’s competition included Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel‘s stellar performances in swimming, Katie Ledecky’s bronze medal, and the U.S. men’s soccer team’s victory. The combination of live afternoon coverage and primetime programming proved to be a winning formula.

Peacock continues its impressive performance

Led by Peacock, 4.7 million viewers streamed Saturday’s coverage across NBCUniversal digital platforms. Saturday also marked Peacock’s second-best day in engagement, behind only the NFL Wild Card Exclusive, which was the most streamed event in U.S. history -further demonstrating the growing popularity of streaming for live sports events.