December 30, 2024
It was a banner year for NBC Sports in 2024, driven in part by expanded live-streaming access on the Peacock platform, which collectively produced the most-watched year since 2016, with more than 400 billion minutes (or more than 7 billion hours) consumed across NBCUniversal platforms.
NBC Sports, together with Peacock, generated the record year-long viewership, beginning with three NFL playoff games on one weekend in January — highlighted by Peacock’s record-setting viewership of the first-ever exclusive live streamed playoff game — to the most-watched Kentucky Derby in 35 years.
The platforms also delivered the conclusion of the most-watched Premier League soccer season ever, golf’s U.S. Open and Open Championships, the U.S. Olympic Trials leading up to the multi-platform coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, and into the fall with NASCAR, Big Ten and Notre Dame Football, and the continued dominance of “Sunday Night Football”.
NBC Sports delivered 32 shows in 2024, which topped 20 million viewers each across multiple platforms, excluding the Dec. 29 NFL “Sunday Night Football” game.
Notable highlights in the year included:
The Paris Olympics, the world’s biggest media event highlighted by 7,000 hours of coverage, 329 events in and around the City of Light (and Tahiti).
NBCU registered a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 30.4 million viewers across the combined live Paris Prime (2-5 p.m. ET) and U.S. primetime (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) time periods – up 80% from the Tokyo Olympics (16.9 million), according to data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
The NBC Broadcast Network extended its streak to 152 consecutive Summer Olympics nights as primetime’s No. 1 show. Led by Peacock, 23.5 billion minutes of the games were streamed – up 40% from all prior Summer and Winter Olympics combined (16.8 billion minutes across NBCUniversal digital platforms).
USA Network ranked as the No. 1 cable sports/entertainment network in “total day” and primetime viewership over the two weeks of competition.
Other milestones included the Peacock Exclusive AFC Wild Card, which was the most-streamed event in U.S. history at the time with 32.1 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.
NBC Sports’ presentation of the 150th Kentucky Derby averaged 16.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, marking the largest Derby TV audience since 1989.
Viewership for NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs delivered year-over-year increases for seven out of 10 races and averaged 2.35 million viewers, up 6% vs. 2023 (2.23 million).
Notable Peacock innovations included the Gold Zone whip-around show for the Paris Games, consistently ranking among the streamer’s top five most-watched Olympics titles and nearly quadrupled its viewership over the course of the Games, with one in five Olympics viewers tuning in.
Peacock’s other popular features included “Multiview” multi-screen views, in addition to a collaboration with Emmy Award-winning, Hall of Fame announcer Al Michaels by incorporating his likeness through generative A.I. and A.I. voice synthesis technology for “Your Daily Olympic Recap,” a first-of-its-kind, personalized experience providing fans with their own customized playlist of Olympic highlights.
Alex Cooper, the multi-hyphenate creator, host, and executive producer of “Call Her Daddy” podcast, hosted “Watch with Alex Cooper,” a series of live interactive watch parties streaming on Peacock.
Comedians Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson brought their original insights to the Olympics, recapping the best moments throughout the quadrennial event.
Separately, NBC Sports’ golf coverage showcased the personalities of the PGA TOUR’s top players with its new “Friday Happy Hour” segments hosted by on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman, creating viral moments and bringing a new approach to Friday afternoon telecasts heading into the weekend.
Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner became appointment viewing during the biggest weeks in golf. Wagner’s reenactments of crucial shots in major events was highlighted by his improbable reenactment of U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau’s bunker shot on the 72nd hole – with a surprise appearance and coaching by DeChambeau himself.
NBC Sports and Peacock presented EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast on Dec. 21, a first-of-its-kind live football experience blending video game elements and live action, for the Houston Texans-Kansas City Chiefs game.
Peacock streamed a special Caitlin Clark alternate feed on Feb. 15, featuring a dedicated camera capturing Clark’s every move as she broke the NCAA women’s all-time scoring record.
Record setting moments also included the Jan. 21 Iowa-Ohio State overtime thriller, which was the most-watched regular season women’s game since 2010 with 1.93 million viewers.
NBC Sports announced record-setting U.S. Olympic Team Trials coverage, April 4, with NBCU presenting over 200 hours, including more than 35 hours on primetime. Combined viewership for swimming, diving, track & field, and gymnastics across NBC, Peacock and USA Network was up 58% from 2021, marking the most-watched telecast in eight years.
NBC Sports’ presentation of the 124th U.S. Open on June 18, from Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2) was the most-watched East Coast U.S. Open in 11 years.
NBC Sports’ presentation of the Premier League’s first match week of the 2024-25 season, Aug. 16-18, was the most-watched opening weekend on record in the U.S., averaging 820,000 viewers across six matches live on NBC/Peacock, USA Network, and NBC Sports Digital platforms.
In a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, the Sept. 5, Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens was the most-watched NFL Kickoff game ever with 29.2 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
Oregon’s thrilling 32-31 victory over Ohio State on “Big Ten Saturday Night” drew the largest primetime audience for a regular season Big 10 conference football game since 2008, with an average of 10.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital.
NBC Sports’ Nov. 28 presentation of the Green Bay Packers’ 30-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins marked the record third consecutive NFL Thanksgiving night game to exceed 26 million viewers.
Finally, beginning next October, the NBA and WNBA return to NBC Sports as part of an 11-year agreement; a new six-year deal for Big East men’s and women’s basketball; a multi-year rights extension with IMSA; and an extension with Churchill Downs making NBC and Peacock the home of the Kentucky Derby through 2032.
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