All the Olympics Streaming TV and CTV Advertising Numbers You Need To Know.

We get it — we know the pain of hunting endlessly for Olympic Summer Games stats. Especially the ones you need to help prove that point you really, really, (really) want to make. 

But we’re here to help. We’ve searched far and wide to pluck those vital stats from every corner of the analyst internet. 

And now we’re sharing every streaming TV advertising and CTV advertising stat we’ve found, from consumer and viewer trends to how advertisers are approaching it — curated specifically for the Summer Games.

All we humbly ask is that when you’re crushing that article, presentation, or whatever else you plan to use it for, you remember your friends here at MNTN Research. 

Tip: use your friend Ctrl+f to find the key term you’re after. Recommended searches include:

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• Ratings
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• Age(s)
• Ad Spend
• Content

Consumer Trends

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris drew a combined average of 30.6 million viewers across NBCU’s constellation of platforms, marking an 82% jump in viewership compared to the Tokyo Games and making the Games the most-streamed Olympics of all time.
Source: CNN

Over the full Games, Paris Prime (daytime) and U.S. prime-time coverage posted a streaming total average delivery of 4.1 million viewers daily across Peacock and NBCU Digital platforms.
Source: NBC Universal

NBC has dominated broadcast prime time since the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which has boosted NBC to No. 1 among Adults 18-49 in the 2023-24 season. NBC is now on pace to win the demographic for the 12-month season, which concludes in September.
Source: NBC Universal

23.5 billion minutes of 2024 Paris Olympics coverage were streamed — up 40% from all prior Summer and Winter Olympics combined (16.8 billion minutes across NBCUniversal digital platforms).
Source: NBC Universal

More than a quarter of Olympics viewers on Peacock watched via Multiview, with half of the time spent in the featured live events, and half watching in the quad box view. Six of 10 viewers used the Browse by Sport navigation menu in the Olympics hub to quickly dive into a specific sport.
Source: NBC Universal

TODAY and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ranked No. 1 in total viewers and in the key Adult 25-54 and Adult 18-49 demos during the two weeks of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Source: Nielsen

Through Thursday, August 8th, 2024, Paris Olympic viewership on Spanish-language network Telemundo increased 26% from the comparable period for the Tokyo Olympics, while Universo viewership spiked 138%. In addition, Telemundo streamed a record 3.1 billion minutes of content through Thursday — up 18% from the full Tokyo Olympics.
Source: NBC Universal

USA Network dominated the cable landscape during the two weeks of Paris Olympic competition, ranking as the #1 cable sports / entertainment network in Total Day and prime time in both total viewers and the Adults 18-49 demographic.
Source: NBC Universal

A record-breaking day: Sunday, August 4th saw a Warner Bros. Discovery record in Europe: 600 million minutes streamed in a single day by Max and discovery+ subscribers.
Source: Warner Bros. Discovery

Saturday, July 27th was Warner Bros. Discovery’s biggest-ever single day for new paid streaming subscribers in Europe.
Source: Warner Bros. Discovery

Saturday, NBCUniversal posted a 16-day total audience delivery average of 31.3 million viewers across the combined live Paris Prime (2-5PM. ET) and U.S. prime time (8-11PM ET/PT).
Source: New York Times

The biggest afternoon viewership number came on Saturday, August 10th, when NBC and Peacock averaged 19.5 million viewers for the U.S. men’s basketball team’s thrilling 98-87 victory over France. It was the most-watched gold-medal game since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The game peaked at 22.7 million viewers from 5-5:15PM ET in the final quarter of the game.
Source: New York Times

NBCU reports that viewers have consumed 17 billion minutes of Summer Games coverage across its various digital platforms, led by Peacock on August 7, 2024. This surpasses the combined 16.8 million streaming figure from the past Summer and Winter Olympics, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Source: Adweek

NBCUniversal reveals that its 11-day total audience has averaged 32.6 million viewers across its two measured prime time periods — Paris prime time and U.S. prime time.
Source: Adweek

Peacock is streaming 5,000 hours out of NBC’s overall 7,000 hours of coverage, including all 329 medal ceremonies.
Source: Adweek

Simone Biles and the women’s gymnastics team drew 7.6 million average viewers during their Olympic all-around qualifying meet, which Biles won to secure her third Olympic bid.
Source: USA Today

An average of 34.5 million viewers in the U.S. tuned into NBC over the first three days of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Source: NPR, 2024

NBC’s live daytime broadcast of the women’s gymnastics team final averaged 12.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, marking the event as one of the network’s top weekday daytime events in Olympic history.
Source: USA Today

Viewership of the 2024 Paris Olympics has outperformed Tokyo’s numbers, with NBC’s five-day total audience average up 79% from the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Source: USA Today

The number of unique streaming viewers in Europe on Warner Bros. Discovery’s MAX service after day two of competition in Paris exceeded the entire total of Tokyo 2020 Games.
Source: Warner Bros Discovery, 2024

Five times as many streaming viewers have watched the Paris 2024 games compared to the same period during the Tokyo Games, with Max credited with 80% of the total streaming audience in Europe.
Source: Warner Bros Discovery, 2024

The Paris 2024 games have driven almost one billion streaming minutes in Europe — more than 7x higher than at the same point during the Tokyo Games and already representing 75% of that event’s total minutes.
Source: Warner Bros Discovery, 2024

Viewership is up 83% from the Opening Ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics, marking the most-watched Summer Olympics ceremony since 2012. 
Source: NBC Sports, 2024

The first three days of the Paris 2024 Olympics generated 4.5 billion streaming minutes, compared to the Tokyo Games’ 4.48 billion streaming minutes across all of NBCU’s digital platforms in total. 
Source: Yahoo! Sports

2024 Summer Olympics could be the most watched televised event in eight years.
Source: EMARKETER, 2024

The broader TV advertising (TV and Connected TV combined) landscape is projected to reach $87.74 billion in ad spend by the end of 2024. 
Source: EMARKETER, 2024

67% of U.S. consumers will watch the Olympics via streaming platforms.
Source: UTA IQ, UTA’s research division, 2024

Olympics content from celebrities, influencers, and digital creators will be consumed by three-quarters (75%) of U.S. viewers.
Source: UTA IQ, UTA’s research division, 2024

76% of U.S. consumers say they have more access to content away from the traditional TV screen compared to the last Summer Games in 2021.
Source: UTA IQ, UTA’s research division, 2024

Team USA trial ratings have indicated popularity for the Paris 2024 Games, with a 24% increase in viewership on NBC’s broadcast and streaming platforms versus the 2021 trials.
Source: USA Today, 2024

The U.S. Olympics track and field trials averaged 4.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock over eight nights of competition, up 38% from the 2021 trials.
Source: USA Today, 2024

An expected 1 billion people will watch the Olympics Ceremony globally, with 326,000 attending in person.
Source: Sky News, 2024

The Olympics are expected to be a record-breaking event, with 7,000 hours of content over two weeks being made available to U.S. audiences.
Source: S&P Global, 2024

On Peacock, the median viewer age during the Tokyo Olympics was 36, but on NBC, the median age of Olympic viewers was in the low-to-mid fifties for the Tokyo Games.
Source: Forbes, 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games is expected to generate 350,000 hours of TV broadcast.
Source: Olympics, 2024

Asians (76%) expressed the most interest in watching this year’s Games, followed by African Americans (75%), Hispanics (74%) and non-Hispanic Whites (67%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Millennials (74%) are the largest generational cohort expressing interest in the Summer Olympic Games, followed by Gen X (71%), Gen Z (68%), and Boomers (62%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

31% of viewers plan to watch the Olympics every day: African Americans (30%) and non-Hispanic Whites (29%) are close to average, while Asian viewership is more sporadic (16%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

The majority of audiences plan to watch the Games on most days, with Asians leading at 52%, followed by African Americans (46%), Hispanics (49%), and non-Hispanic Whites (44%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Asian viewers (25%) are more likely to view the Olympics only on days when their preferred sporting events are on, compared to 21% of non-Hispanic Whites and 18% of Hispanics.
Source: Thinknow, 2024

68% of U.S. adults plan to watch at least some of the Summer Olympics, an increase from previous Games. 
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Gymnastics coverage generates the most interest for 52% of Asian viewers, while basketball coverage is popular among 59% of African Americans.
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Swimming coverage attracts a higher percentage of Asians (29%) and non-Hispanic Whites (27%), while track and field is favored by African Americans (38%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

39% of viewers see the Olympics’ new sports coverage of surfing and skateboarding in a positive light, with Millennials (47%) showing the most support and Boomers being the least enthusiastic (19%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Non-Hispanic Whites (45%) and Baby Boomers (54%) are more likely to watch the Olympics on NBC / traditional network TV compared to Hispanics (28%) and Gen Z (23%).
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Online streaming platforms like Peacock and NBC.com are particularly popular among Asians (42%) and Millennials (49%), the latter indicating a preference for digital consumption among younger audiences.
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Cable and satellite options like CNBC, USA Network, and Telemundo are favored by Hispanics (33%) and, to a lesser extent, by Baby Boomers (26%).  
Source: Thinknow, 2024

Approximately 35% of global fans are likely to be interested in the products and services of a sponsoring brand of the Olympic Games.
Source: Nielsen Fan Insights, 2024

Advertiser Trends

Visits to Nike’s site peaked at 2 million on July 31 after US gymnast Simone Biles earned her seventh Olympic gold medal. Of those visits, 86,900 included a sale. This is higher than Adidas’ 3,600 conversions out of 532,500 site visits.
Source: eMarketer

On resale platform StockX, Nike’s Jordan 4 Retro SE Paris Olympics Wet Cement shoes were the highest-selling Olympic product on the site.
Source: eMarketer

The 2024 Paris Olympics provided massive scale and high engagement across all platforms for NBCUniversal’s advertising partners. These performance lifts include: +27% greater ad attention, +44% greater message recall, +14% higher brand search engagement, +17% increased purchase intent.
Source: NBC Universal

3 in 4 viewers say they trust Olympic advertisers, and 2 in 3 consumers find Olympics advertisements more credible versus other ads.
Source: NBC Universal

Dory Ellis Garfinkle, Chief Marketing Officer at brand strategy firm Siegel+Gale, said Paris is a “comeback Olympics” for advertisers, with data showing 300% growth in searches for brands during the opening ceremony compared to Tokyo.
Source: Reuters

NBCUniversal, which has the largest Olympic media deal in the world after paying $7.65 billion in 2014 to extend its rights through 2032, scored its highest U.S. audience since 2012 and enjoyed record ad sales, with average total viewership for the first 14 days up 77% from Tokyo.
Source: Reuters

NBCU claims that 2024 Paris Olympics viewers are 24% more likely to be in the market for a new car compared to the general population. As a result, auto advertisers are seeing an average of 52% more incremental brand search compared to a benchmark of auto advertisers on cable and broadcast over the past year.
Source: AdExchanger

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games organizing committee hit its $1.34 billion sponsorship revenue target for the Games.
Source: Adweek

NBCU launched Virtual Concessions, a new commerce-enabled ad feature that allows audiences to purchase food, drinks, and other items on-demand while watching the Olympics via QR codes. NBCU teamed up with Instacart and Flowcode as its partners to bring the innovation to the screen across ads on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network.
Source: Adweek

The first five days of Olympic coverage have enjoyed a surge in viewership, but the methodology has changed. NBC has rolled up its viewership for the 2024 Paris Games to include live viewership from 2-5 p.m. ET featuring NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, E!, Paris Extra 1, Paris Extra 2, and additional NBCU digital platforms, as well as U.S. prime-time viewership on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network.
Source: New York Times

The Trade Desk, NBCU’s programmatic partner, has shared new statistics with buyers that showcase the effectiveness of the first programmatic offerings for the games, with its clients reaching 900,000 households during the first weekend of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Source: Adweek

Advertisers have the potential to spend $9 million per day on a mass reach campaign through The Trade Desk’s programmatic offering during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Source: Adweek

NBCU is securing the highest Olympic and Paralympic ad revenue in history and has already doubled the digital ad revenue of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Source: Adweek

70% of NBCU’s advertisers during the Olympics are first-time Olympics sponsors.
Source: Adweek

The Trade Desk charged a $60 CPM (cost per thousand viewers reached) floor price for its All Olympics offering, which includes live events and replays on Peacock and the NBCU sports app, and a $40 CPM floor for its Olympic Highlights offering, which includes news coverage, shoulder content, and replays.
Source: Adweek

The Paris Olympics have been one of the stars of NBCU’s upfront event for the past two years. As of April 2024, NBCU was on pace to pass its record for Olympic advertising, securing $1.2 billion in commitments.
Source: Adweek, 2024

Of that $1.2 billion in ad commitments, $350 million came from first-time advertisers.
Source: EMARKETER, 2024 

Peacock will capitalize on the Olympics buzz by raising its ad-supported subscription fees by $2 to $7.99 monthly.
Source: EMARKETER, 2024 

Advertisers can buy ad spots programmatically through Peacock (and MNTN) in the U.S. across all 329 medal events — which adds up to over 5,000 hours of content.
Source: Digiday, 2024

Max will boost its direct-to-consumer business in Europe by launching its streaming service in more than 25 additional markets across Europe, making it the only place where viewers across the region will be able to watch every part of the Olympic Games.
Source: Reuters, 2024

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), which holds broadcast rights to the Olympic Games across Europe, has outperformed its ad sales target by 140% for the Summer Games.
Source: SportsProMedia, 2024

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has made 160% more advertising revenue from Paris 2024 than the previous games in Tokyo 2021.
Source: SportsProMedia, 2024

Visa and Toyota have committed $100 million during this year’s 2024 Paris Olympics, an increase of 18% from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Source: Forbes, 2024

An estimated 250 advertisers will be part of the 2024 Paris Olympics across NBC and Peacock, up from about 100 advertisers in past Games, thanks to (a) a larger number of ads NBCU can serve on Peacock, and (b) more advertisers buying programmatically through The Trade Desk (and MNTN).
Source: Ad Age, 2024

NBCU announced that this year’s Games will feature the first commercial-free hour of Olympics coverage during the Opening Ceremonies, after testing commercial-free programming during the fourth quarter of its Peacock-exclusive holiday NFL game last year.
Source: Ad Age, 2024

NBCU’s first-ever commercial-free hour of Olympics coverage, during the Opening Ceremonies, will be sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, Lilly, Toyota Motor Corp., Visa, and Xfinity; Instead of traditional ads, brand logos for each sponsor (or “Olympic Ring Holder”) will have a presence on screen, rotating in 10-minute increments.
Source: Ad Age, 2024

Brands that advertised during the U.S. Olympic Trials experienced 15% higher average attention, 22% higher message recall, and 27% growth in brand search over other media inventory.
Source: Ad Age, 2024

20-25% of Olympics viewership is expected to come from Peacock.
Source: NBC, 2024

The average price for a 30-second spot in Olympics primetime coverage is between $750,000 to $850,000,
Source: Ad Age, 2024

Creative

Apple’s global campaign for the 2024 Olympics depicts looking toward the future of young aspiring athletes. “2036 Hopefuls,” by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, was shot entirely on its iPhone 15 Pro Max by sports photographer Walter Iooss Jr. The work, which is made up of social media and out-of-home elements, shows young talent from sports including skateboarding, gymnastics, and table tennis and their potential for future Olympic Games tournaments.
Source: Campaign Live

Air Canada has created a campaign with FCB Canada’s Toronto and Montréal offices to promote its partnership with Team Canada at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. The ad follows two Canadian journeys across time before coming together to reveal an unexpected twist. The 150-second spot will be shown on TV, cinema and online, and was directed by Kevin Foley through Scouts Honour. It has also been made in 30-, 60- and 90-second versions for TV and cinema and 15- and 150-second versions for online.
Source: Campaign Live

Nulo Pet Food, a first-time Olympics advertiser, released a 60-second spot highlighting its “Fuel Incredible” campaign, a continuation of founder Michael Landa’s overall mission inspired by his dog, Max: to provide pets with the type of nutrition that excludes “filler” ingredients.
Source: USA Today

Google has pulled its controversial “Dear Sydney” Olympics ad after critics blasted it for portraying what they called a bleak application of artificial intelligence.
Source: CNN

Omega’s new ad, “Official Timekeeper of the Olympics,” reimagines Paris as a dreamlike sports arena, where iconic landmarks become the stage for surreal athletic feats. The marketing campaign underscores the luxury watchmaker’s esteemed role as the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ Official Timekeeper, celebrating 31 Olympic Games and 32 Paralympic Games.
Source: The Drum

Apple’s collection of stunning photographs of young athletes, dubbed the Olympic hopefuls of 2036, led Ad Age’s ranking of the top 5 recent sports campaigns. The photos were taken on an iPhone15 Pro by famed sports lensman Walter Iooss Jr.
Source: Ad Age, 2024

Hyundai’s 60-second commercial, called “It’s OK,” spotlights youth sports and the everyday battles between obligation and specialization vs. actual enjoyment. Its campaign extends across partnerships with content creators across social media and YouTube with its “It’s Not a Sport” campaign, which takes a lighter look at non-traditional events like surfing, skateboarding, breakdancing, and bottle flipping.
Source: USA Today

Healthcare giant and Team USA partner Eli Lilly airs its “One Body” campaign during NBCUniversal’s event coverage and across national broadcast TV, online and digital streaming platforms and via social channels, championing bodies of all shapes and sizes, and challenging people to “fight like hell” for their health.
Source: Adweek

Google’s “Dear Sydney” commercial gets some heat from viewers and the creative community for its depiction of using generative AI to write a letter to Olympic superstar Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Source: NY Mag

After seeing a 2% revenue decline YoY to $12.6 billion in its most recent financial quarter, Nike is rebounding with its “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” marketing campaign for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 
Source: Marketing Dive

With exclusive ad spots offered during the 13 nights of the coverage — like a single 30-second slot during a 30-minute event — advertisers have a unique, prime-time opportunity to “Olympicize” their content.
Source: Ad Age, 2024

With its 96-year run, The Coca-Cola Company is the longest-running partner of the Olympic Games. The company has already debuted their global campaign “Celebrate Everyday Greatness,” highlighting the magic of everyday moments with Team USA and Team Canada athletes, across social, digital, and TV.
Source: The Drum, 2024  

Procter & Gamble Co., which traditionally has saluted the Olympics with an overarching corporate anthem, is instead breaking out its marketing campaign across 30 separate brands, with merchandising tie-ins at 150 retailers in 40 countries.
Source: Ad Age, 2024 

Visa, a 40-year veteran of Olympics sponsorship, brings athletes and Gen Z content creators together for a European campaign called “Level Up Your Game,” featuring track and field athletes from France, Italy, and Spain. The campaign is running across social, digital, video on demand, and in-cinema in 20 European countries.
Source: Adweek, 2024