Olympics
Simone Biles Stars at U.S. Gymnastics Trials On NBC & Peacock in Most-Watched Olympic Trials Telecast Since 2016
Olympics
Simone Biles Stars at U.S. Gymnastics Trials On NBC & Peacock in Most-Watched Olympic Trials Telecast Since 2016
Jul 01, 2024
Key Takeaways
Sunday’s Show Peaked at 8.2 Million Viewers as Gymnasts Completed Final Rotation
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Sets World Record as Track & Field Trials Conclude on Sunday Night; Track & Field Viewership UP 38% from 2021
Full Trials Viewership (June 15-30) UP 58% on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network Across Swimming, Diving, Track & Field, and Gymnastics
Viewers Streamed More than 488 Million Live Minutes Across Peacock and NBC Sports Digital – More than Tripling Combined Streaming of Tokyo and Rio Olympic Trials
Stamford, CT
Highlighted by Simone Biles qualifying for her third Olympic team, the selection of the women’s gymnastics team, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone setting the world record in the 400m hurdles, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials concluded on NBC and Peacock on Sunday night with the most-watched Trials telecast in eight years.
In addition, combined viewership for swimming, diving, track & field, and gymnastics across NBC, Peacock and USA Network was UP 58% from 2021, according to custom fast national data from Nielsen and metrics from Adobe Analytics.
Biles finished first at the Olympic Trials last night as an average of 7.6 million viewers watched on NBC and Peacock (8:36-11:03 p.m. ET) – marking the most-watched Olympic Trials telecast since 2016 (8.6 million viewers, July 10) and UP 29% from 2021 (5.9 million viewers).
Last night’s audience peaked at 8.2 million viewers from 10-10:15 p.m. ET as the gymnasts completed their final rotations.
Earlier on Sunday night, McLaughlin-Levrone clocked a world-record 50.65 in the 400m hurdles in the final event of the track & field trials, which averaged 4.5 million viewers across eight nights of competition on NBC and Peacock – UP 38% from the 2021 Trials (3.2 million viewers).
From June 15-30 on NBC, Peacock, and USA Network, coverage of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for swimming, diving, track & field, and gymnastics, delivered a 58% viewership increase over 2021. Live primetime coverage on NBC and Peacock averaged 3.9 million viewers – UP 24% from 2021 (3.2 million viewers).
In addition, across Peacock and NBC Sports Digital platforms, viewers streamed more than 488 million live minutes of 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials competition – more than three times greater the combined total of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials (79 million minutes) and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (53 million minutes).
Over the past few weeks, NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Trials featured show-stopping performances from stars including Biles, Suni Lee, Frederick Richard, Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, McLaughlin-Levrone, Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, and world record-setting swimmers Regan Smith and Gretchen Walsh, along with Michael Phelps in the booth, commentary from Snoop Dogg and Terry Crews at the track & field competition, Peyton Manning watching tape with two-time Olympic shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser, and a record 285,000+ swimming fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Team USA will next take part in The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, on Friday, July 26 on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.
