The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Games has delivered strong audiences in the US, France and the UK.
28.6 million viewers watched on NBCUniversal platforms in the US, making it the most-watched launch for a summer Olympics since London in 2012. In addition, NBCU’s Spanish-language network Telemundo Deportes delivered 666,000 viewers.
The NBC broadcast network and NBCU’s streaming service Peacock are the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the Games.
With coverage live in the afternoon in the US followed by a special primetime presentation, the ceremony’s audience was 60% larger than the Tokyo opening ceremony (17.9 million) and 8% bigger than the Rio opening ceremony (26.5 million).
NBCU said the opening ceremony was the most-streamed ever with more than 2.5 million viewers and ranks as the No. 1 entertainment event in Peacock history.
In the UK, 6.8 million people watched the coverage on BBC One, between 5.45pm and 10.40pm. The BBC said a peak of 7.9 million people tuned in.
For UK audiences, it is the first Games without a significant time difference since London 2012 when 22.4 million viewers watched the opening ceremony.
In France, the opening ceremony was watched by 23.2 million viewers on the France 2 linear channel and by a peak of 25.2 million.
European women’s football media rights remain undervalued, finds report
European women’s football leagues continue to be undervalued by media owners, despite the growing popularity of the sport, according to an Ampere Analysis report.
Comcast’s Peacock platform hits 41m subscribers
Cable giant Comcast has hit 41m subscribers for its streaming platform Peacock in the first quarter of 2025, up from 36m from the previous quarter.
Effects of AI on broadcast newsrooms ‘astounding’ says EBU
The pace of AI development and the effects on broadcast newsrooms in the past 10 months have been ‘astounding’ according to the author of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) News Report 2025.
EastEnders wins BAFTA Television Craft Special Award
BAFTA has named EastEnders as the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Special Award, one of its highest honours.
IBC Innovation Awards 2025: Nominations now open across five categories
IBC has opened nominations for this year’s Innovation Awards, recognising pioneering advances in technology and social impact in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry.
