Paris Olympics opening ceremony attracts 28.6 million US viewers, most since 2012 By Reuters

By Sheila Dang

PARIS (Reuters) – The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics drew 28.6 million U.S. viewers, in line with preliminary knowledge from Comcast (NASDAQ:)’s NBCUniversal on Saturday, which the corporate mentioned was the most-watched begin to a summer time Video games since London in 2012.

The celebration on Friday featured athlete delegations floating down the Seine previous Paris landmarks and singer Celine Dion’s first public efficiency in years.

It’s a essential broadcast occasion for NBCUniversal which paid $7.65 billion to increase its rights to air the Video games within the U.S. via 2032. NBCUniversal’s Olympics media-rights deal is the most important on the planet.

The viewership determine, which incorporates NBC and streaming service Peacock, is a boon for the broadcaster in comparison with simply 17 million viewers for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Each the Tokyo and Beijing 2022 Olympics offered a difficult time zone for American audiences and had been beset by the pandemic.

Main as much as the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal had been vocal about its plans to draw viewers again to the occasion. Throughout its broadcast, singer Beyoncé launched Workforce USA in a video that aired simply earlier than the American athletes appeared on the river, certainly one of many celebrities who will participate in NBCUniversal’s protection all through the Olympics.

It would additionally infuse AI know-how into its protection, together with recreating the voice of sports activities commentator Al Michaels.