Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and the BBC have both reported strong viewership results for their coverage of the Olympic Winter Games for Milano-Cortina 2026.
WBD said the return of the Olympic Winter Games to Europe helped to drive significant growth in viewership and engagement across Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) services across Europe.
Streaming across HBO Max and Discovery+ attracted 234% more viewers than the Beijing 2022 event. There was also a triple-digit percentage growth in total hours viewed (+103% vs Beijing 2022) – including triple-digit growth in France, Germany, and Italy (on HBO Max) and the UK on Discovery+.
WBD said total subscribers streaming Milano-Cortina 2026 content exceeded those who viewed the entire Beijing 2022 Games after only three days.
The conglomerate presented every event live during the Winter Olympics, amounting to 246 live sessions, peaking at 11 concurrent events across 19 days.
Approximately a third (32%) of viewers used Olympics Multiview, which enabled them to watch up to four Olympics events concurrently on a single screen with their choice of audio.
Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director of WBD Sports Europe, said: “This Olympics has set an incredibly strong foundation as we look to Los Angeles 2028 and the Olympic Winter Games returning to Europe again for the French Alps 2030.”
Meanwhile, BBC Sport said its coverage of the Winter Olympic Games 2026 achieved a record-breaking surge in streaming of the Games.
Across the Winter Olympic Games in 2026, there were reportedly 83 million streams and over 44 million total streamed hours online via BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and the BBC Sport app, with 26.3 million viewers tuning in to the TV coverage.
The figures represent a dramatic increase in overall consumption compared to the previous Winter Olympic Games. The Beijing Winter Olympic Games in 2022 saw 31.4 million streams and a TV audience of 26 million.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, commented: “From unforgettable human moments to technical sporting insight, BBC Sport didn’t just cover this year’s Winter Olympic Games; it delivered conversation and insight around them that got audiences talking and engaging more than ever.
Paolo Petrecca, Director of Rai Sport at Italian state broadcaster Rai, recently resigned after a series of commentary errors during the Milano-Cortina Olympics opening ceremony. Discover more here.
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