The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris drew around 28.6 million viewers to NBC and Peacock, according to data from Nielsen shared by the network on Saturday.
The data includes the live broadcast that aired early Friday morning on NBC and Peacock, and the prime-time replays on NBC stations and affiliates later in the day.
“Last night’s Opening Ceremony, one of the most ambitious and complex in Olympic history, was a spectacle for those in attendance in Paris, delivered a huge audience across our [NBC Universal] platforms, and set records for Peacock,” Rick Cordella, the President of NBC Sports, said in a statement. “Thanks to the tireless effort of our production and engineering teams, and extensive promotion, we are off to a strong start that is in line with the expectations of our NBC stations, and distribution and advertising partners. We are in great position as we look forward to the next two weeks of competition.”
The audience was around 60 percent higher than the number of people who watched the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games from Tokyo, which was delayed to the following year because of the coronavirus health pandemic. Friday’s opening ceremony drew the highest audience for an opening ceremony since the 2012 Summer Olympic Games from London, the network said.
It was also the most-streamed opening ceremony ever, NBC said, though it has only offered coverage of the Summer Olympic Games on streaming platforms for a few years. The games in Tokyo were the first to be offered through Peacock; prior Olympic Games were available through the NBC Sports app, which required a cable or satellite subscription.
The 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony included a breathtaking rendition by French-Canadian singe Celine Dion, her first public performance after being diagnosed with a rare neurological condition. Other performers included Lady Gaga, Gojira, Aya Nakamura, Rim’K, Juliette Armanet and Sofiane Pamart.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games lasted nearly five hours.
