PARIS, France — Despite criticism surrounding different elements to the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony, one fact is undeniable: It hasn't steered away viewers from watching.
The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony drew 28.6 million viewers, according to ratings released by NBC, which is the most-watched Opening Ceremony since the London 2012 Olympics. Friday's opening ceremony viewership was 60% larger than Tokyo (just over 10 million) and 6% higher than the Rio Opening Ceremony (26.5 million). It was also the most-streamed opening ceremony ever (more than 2.5 million viewers) and ranks as the No. 1 entertainment event in Peacock history, according to NBC.
Paris Olympics streaming consumption across NBCUniversal platforms exceeded 1 billion minutes through Friday – six times greater than the Tokyo Olympics through the comparable time frame.
The Opening Ceremony drew ire online after a French DJ who performed at the show was accused of making a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci's “The Last Supper” painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles. Paris Olympics organizers have said there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that the intent was to “celebrate community tolerance.” The DJ, Barbara Butch, said via a statement Tuesday morning that she is filing complaints over a torrent of threats and other abuse online.
Controversy and criticism aside, the Paris Olympics has amassed a three-day total viewership average of 34.5 million, up 79% from Tokyo (19.3 million). On the streaming side, 4.5 billion minutes of Paris Olympics coverage has been streamed through Sunday – surpassing the entire Tokyo Olympics (4.48 billion minutes), NBC said in a Monday press release.
The viewership over the first three days was driven by gymnast Simone Biles leading the U.S. to the top score in the women’s gymnastics qualifier, the 1-2 finish by U.S. swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh in the 100m butterfly, the U.S. women’s rugby team topping Brazil, and French swimmer Leon Marchand winning gold in the 400m individual medley in his home country.
Other viewership drivers, according to NBC, were the U.S. men's basketball team opener versus Serbia (10.9 million average viewers) and the U.S. women’s soccer team’s win over Germany (4.2 million viewers on USA Network and Peacock).
NBC purchased exclusive broadcast rights in 2014 for $7.75 billion, which covers six Olympics from 2021 to 2032, an extension to their previously-signed 2011 deal for $4.4 billion.
The United States will host the summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, and was recently named the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
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