NBCUniversal averaged 26.5 million viewers during the first five nights of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, the most so far since the 2014 Sochi Games, it announced Tuesday.
That translates to a 93% increase over the same period during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and includes viewers tuning in via NBC, the Peacock streaming service, other NBCUniversal digital platforms and the CNBC and US networks.
In Beijing, the average for the first five days was 13.7 million.
Front Office Sports reported that Sunday night’s primetime coverage averaged 42 million viewers, the most-watched individual broadcast since the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Viewers have streamed 5.3 billion minutes to date, much of it on Peacock, double the number of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Piero Cruciatti/AFP via Getty Images
The time zone difference between the United States and Italy likely contributed to the increase.
The past two Winter Olympics were held in Asia, with time differences between the US East Coast of at least 13 hours. It is only six hours to Milan, making it easier for viewers to follow live events.
NBC has committed to showing live coverage of all events across linear and streaming platforms.
Viewership is expected to remain strong in the coming days as men’s hockey competition ramps up and high-profile events, such as men’s and women’s figure skating, take place.
