The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics drew 28.6 million viewers in the United States on Friday night, according to preliminary data released by Comcast's NBCUniversal. This is the highest viewership for a Summer Games kickoff since the London Olympics in 2012, and a significant leap from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which attracted just 17 million viewers.
The ceremony featured athlete delegations floating down the Seine past Paris landmarks and included singer Celine Dion’s first public performance in years. NBCUniversal paid $7.65 billion to extend its broadcasting rights for the Olympics in the U.S. through 2032. This deal is the largest of its kind globally.
