NBCUniversal‘s coverage of the Milan Cortina Olympics‘ flashy opening ceremony averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, a jump of 34% from the opening for the 2022 winter games in Beijing, per preliminary data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
The opener — which featured a dazzling fireworks show of the Olympic rings, Mariah Carey’s Italian ballad performance and spectators’ prominent geopolitical opinions on display via jeers for Vice President JD Vance and Israel’s team — kickstarted the preeminent international sporting extavaganza from four different locations.
Led by Peacock, it was NBCUniversal’s most-streamed winter games opening ceremony ever, with its audience up by nearly six million viewers from Beijing’s 15.9 million watchers.
Some context for the feat: Peacock’s popularity has grown year-to-year since 2022, when it had just 9 million standalone subscribers and another 7 million via paid bundles. As of January 2026, the streamer’s subscriber count stands at 44 million, so viewership gains are natural and to be expected. Additionally, Milan’s time difference with the U.S. — just six hours ahead of the East Coast — is more favorable for viewing than Beijing’s 13 hour difference, quite literally night and day.
This is a full-circle moment for Peacock, the platform that initially launched to boost and dedicate coverage to the 2020 Olympics, which were of course delayed by the pandemic. There was a big push to cover the opening ceremony live this year, with featured commentary, including from three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, which drew a lot of hype and, evidently, viewership results.
“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,” said Rick Cordella, President of NBC Sports, in a statement. “The Opening Ceremony audience exceeded our expectations, and we can’t wait for the next two weeks of competition.”
The ratings record extended beyond the games as well, with last night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which followed primetime opening ceremony coverage, scoring the show’s most-watched telecast since Thanksgiving, averaging 2.3 million viewers.
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2036, which will next be held in Los Angeles (2028), the French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032) and Utah (2034). The venue for the 2036 summer games is yet undecided.
