Paris Olympics Viewing up 77% Over Tokyo

STAMFORD, Conn. —NBCUniversal has released data showing that total viewing of the Paris Olympics is up 77% from the Tokyo Olympics after 12 days and that the NBC affiliate in New Orleans had the highest rating of any NBC affiliated local TV station.

Tulsa was the second highest rated market, followed by West Palm Beach among NBC affiliate stations according to Nielsen. (See rankings below.)

In addition, NBCUniversal’s nightly Paris Olympics show from 8-11 p.m. ET/PT has dominated primetime, topping 13 million viewers each night across NBC and USA Network, according to Nielsen. If the NFL is excluded, NBC said that the show accounts for 12 of the 19 most-watched primetime shows in 2024.

Beginning with the Opening Ceremony, NBCUniversal has a posted 12-day Total Audience Delivery average of 32.2 million viewers across the combined live Paris Prime (2-5 p.m. ET) and U.S. primetime (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) time periods – up 77% from Tokyo (18.2 million).

Total Audience Delivery is based upon live-plus-same day official figures from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Live viewership from 2-5 p.m. ET (Paris Prime) is inclusive of NBC, Peacock, USA Network, E!, Paris Extra 1, Paris Extra 2, and additional NBCU digital platforms. Primetime viewership includes NBC, Peacock, USA Network, Paris Extra 1 and Paris Extra 2.

In terms of local markets, New Orleans leads all markets in local NBC station ratings through the first 11 days of broadcast coverage (“Paris Prime” + primetime windows). Following are the Top 20 markets (7/26-8/5):

1. New Orleans 19.8/25
2. West Palm Beach 19.6/28
3. Tulsa 19.2/25
4. Minneapolis 18.4/33
5. Dayton 17.9/26
6. Kansas City 17.8/30
7. Fort Myers 17.1/26
8. Milwaukee 16.9/27
9. Oklahoma City 16.8/25
10. Louisville 16.7/23
11. St. Louis 16.7/27
12. Indianapolis 16.5/29
13. Richmond 16.4/24
14. Austin 16.1/33
15. Norfolk 16.1/27
16. Buffalo 15.9/24
17. Pittsburgh 15.9/24
18. Baltimore 15.9/27
19. Dallas 15.7/31
20. Denver 15.5/31

Source: Nielsen