The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics came to a close last Sunday in Italy and among the big winners on and off the ice (and snow), NBC had one of the largest windfalls as the network revealed on Monday that ratings for the Games got a major boost over the past two winter showcases.
According to NBC, and average of 23.5 million viewers tuned into the 2026 Winter Games, a staggering 96 percent jump from the 2026 Beijing Games along with posting the best Winter Olympics viewership since the 2014 Sochi Games.
“The Milan Cortina Olympics proved once again that the American audience will gather in large numbers over 17 days to experience this unmatched global competition,” Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics said. “These Winter Games — superbly hosted across northern Italy, and produced and distributed by a team of 2,700 — reached blockbuster U.S. audiences of more than 50 million viewers each day, continuing the media dominance we experienced less than two years ago at the Paris Olympics. We can’t wait for the return of the Olympics to the United States with the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and are ecstatic to be the U.S. media home of five Olympic Games over the next decade.”
NBCUniversal sourced its viewer numbers from Nielsen Big Data + Panel reach measurements through February 19 along with preliminary Nielsen and Adobe Analytics over last three days of competition. The full tally of the data will be made available later this week which will also include viewership figures from Team USA’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada to take the gold.
Jack Hughes scored in overtime locking in the win for the U.S., which closed out the 2026 Games.
“These Olympics captured everyone’s imagination in ways no one could have predicted. The settings were stunningly beautiful, providing a spectacular backdrop for the intense competition,” Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production said. “The technology – including enhanced audio and drones – coupled with the unprecedented access we had to athletes and their lives allowed us to take the audience inside their stories in fresh, meaningful ways. And Team USA represented the best of every one of us, giving us so much to look forward to for many Olympic Games to come.”
The network also noted that the opening ceremony on February 2 was the most watched in 12 years as all 15 days of competition either reached or exceeded 20 million viewers on all platforms. Its “Milan Prime” and primetime broadcast, “Primetime in Milan” totaled 3.3 million viewers across Peacock and NBCU Digital platforms and a record 16.7 billion minutes of Winter Olympics coverage was streamed.
NBC also revealed that Peacock posted its best month every in February, anchored by Winter Games coverage, Super Bowl and its recently renewed partnership to broadcast NBA games this season.
