Ratings Reference

Most-watched Olympics telecasts of the 2020s

Nielsen average audience, one figure per telecast; a final or revised figure replaces a preliminary one. Composites, peaks, reach and self-reported figures do not chart.

22
eligible telecasts
updated 2026-09-15

Most-watched Olympics telecasts of the 2020s

1
Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Prime time
2021-07-25 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
20,000,000
final · Sports Media Watch
2
Paris 2024 Olympics — Prime time
2024-08-04 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
20,000,000
final · Sports Media Watch
3
Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Opening Ceremony
2021-07-23 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
17,000,000
final · Sports Media Watch
4
Paris 2024 Olympics — Prime time
2024-08-06 · NBC · USA · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
13,900,000
final · TV only · Sports Media Watch
5
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Opening Ceremony
2022-02-04 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
13,840,000
final · Sports Media Watch
6
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-04 · NBC · USA · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
12,800,000
final · Sports Media Watch
7
Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics — Prime time
2026-02-07 · Olympics · Big Data + Panel
11,450,000
final · Sports Media Watch
8
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-06 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
11,000,000
final · TV only · Sports Media Watch
9
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-05 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
10,150,000
final · Sports Media Watch
10
Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Closing Ceremony
2021-08-08 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,810,000
final · TV only · Sports Media Watch
11
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-15 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,700,000
final · Sports Media Watch
12
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-11 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,570,000
final · Sports Media Watch
13
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-17 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,520,000
final · Sports Media Watch
14
Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Prime time
2021-08-07 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,450,000
final · TV only · Sports Media Watch
15
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-19 · NBC · USA · CNBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,360,000
final · Sports Media Watch
16
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-08 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,350,000
final · TV only · Sports Media Watch
17
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-12 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
8,240,000
final · Sports Media Watch
18
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-14 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
7,870,000
final · Sports Media Watch
19
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-03 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
7,250,000
final · Sports Media Watch
20
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Prime time
2022-02-16 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
6,930,000
final · Sports Media Watch
21
Beijing 2022 Olympics — Closing Ceremony
2022-02-20 · NBC · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
6,570,000
final · Sports Media Watch
22
Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Prime time
2021-07-24 · NBC · USA · +2 more · Olympics · Panel + Out-of-Home
4,400,000
final · Sports Media Watch

22 eligible telecasts · computed 2026-09-15 11:38 UTC

Rows span 2 Nielsen eras (Panel + Out-of-Home, Big Data + Panel); figures from different eras are not directly comparable. Each row carries its era.