By practically any conceivable metric, the start of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics has been a tremendous success. The games are underway and have already delivered some big-time, noteworthy moments, but it's fair to say that the biggest star of the games thus far has been the city of Paris.
Widely regarded as arguably the most beautiful city in the world, a very rainy Paris was on full display during Friday's Opening Ceremony, as the parade of athletes started on the Seine River and eventually concluded at the Eiffel Tower, providing the many, many viewers with a de facto tour of the entire city in real time. And per a press release by NBC Sports, not since 2012 has a larger audience tuned in to watch the Olympics begin.
“Last night’s Opening Ceremony, one of the most ambitious and complex in Olympics history, was a spectacle for those in attendance in Paris, delivered a huge audience across our NBCU platforms, and set records for Peacock,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella.
How huge was the audience, you ask? According to data provided by Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, 28.6 million viewers tuned in on Friday, making the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics the most watched since London hosted the games in 2012. Paris drew more than 10 million more viewers than Tokyo did in 2021, and more than 2 million more viewers than the Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The stars were out for the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris
In addition to the many tremendous, well-known athletes on Team USA who will be competing in the games over the next two weeks and made the trip down the Seine River on Friday — such as Team USA flag bearers LeBron James and Coco Gauff, Simone Biles, Sha'Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, and Caeleb Dressel — the Opening Ceremony also featured appearances and performances by some of the biggest names in popular culture.
Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and American Idol season 1 winner/three-time Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson joined Mike Tirico for coverage of the Opening Ceremony. Snoop Dogg briefly carried the Olympic Torch — for lord knows what reason. Lady Gaga performed the opening music number, and Celine Dion closed the Olympics Opening Ceremony out with a powerhouse performance coming from the Eiffel Tower.
When the Summer Games come to Los Angeles in 2028, it'll be interesting to see if NBCU and Peacock once again set viewership records. It'll be the first time the United States has hosted the Summer Olympics since Atlanta hosted the games back in 1996.
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