2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony draws 28.6 million viewers, most since 2012

The 2024 Olympics kicked off in Paris on Friday with the Opening Ceremony as millions across the world tuned in. According to data from Nielsen, there were 28.6 million viewers as the Games got going with performances from stars such as Celine Dione and Lady Gaga and of course the lighting of the cauldron.

That marked the most viewers since the 2012 London Olympics and was up 60% from the Tokyo Opening Ceremony (17.9 million) in 2021. Additionally, it ranked as the No. 1 event in the history of Peacock as 2.5 million people watched the Opening Ceremony through NBC’s streaming service.

Telemundo Deportes delivered 666,000 viewers for the Opening Ceremony.

“Last night’s Opening Ceremony, one of the most ambitious and complex in Olympic history, was a spectacle for those in attendance in Paris, delivered a huge audience across our NBCU platforms, and set records for Peacock,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said. “Thanks to the tireless effort of our production and engineering teams, and extensive promotion, we are off to a strong start that is in line with the expectations of our NBC stations, and distribution and advertising partners. We are in great position as we look forward to the next two weeks of competition.”

The increased viewership also led to bigger returns for advertisers at the Olympics as NBC reported a +320% greater search volume on brands compared to the Tokyo Olympics. The competition offically got underway Saturday and will continue through Aug. 11.

Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron lit in unique fashion

Fans were treated to several spectacular displays at the Opening Ceremony, including some phenomenal singing from one of the greatest vocalists of all-time, Celine Dion.

There was also a phenomenal lighting display with the Eiffel Tower, one of the prized monuments in France. To wrap up the opening ceremonies, they had a unique way of lighting the Olympic cauldron, hoisting it several hundred feet in the sky with a hot air balloon.

The Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron is lit!

Sorry, THE PARIS 2024 HOT-AIR BALLOON OLYMPIC CAULDRON IS LIT! 🤯 🔥 #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/CIuS4RzfHD

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024

The Olympics are a great showcase for some of the top athletes on the planet. Plenty of athletes from Team USA were in a boat during the opening ceremonies. There was also a boat with Olympic legends Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Nadia Comaneci.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how Team USA does at the Paris Olympics, having secured its first gold medal in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay on Saturday.

On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this report.