22.7 Million Total Viewers Up 90% vs. Beijing 2022 (11.9 Million) and Up 47% vs. Paris 2024 (15.4 Million)
USA-Canada Sled Hockey Gold Medal Game Averaged 1.2 Million Viewers, Making it the Most-Watched Sled Hockey Game on Record
Coverage Began March 6 with Most-Watched Winter Paralympic Opening Ceremony Since Salt Lake City 2002
Led by Peacock, Milan Cortina 2026 Delivers Nearly 100 Million Streaming Minutes, a Winter Paralympics Record
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 19, 2026 – NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games were the most-watched Winter Paralympics on record, reaching 22.7 million total viewers (TV only) over 10 days across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC, and almost doubling the total viewership for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, according to official live + same day Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics. NBCU’s coverage also featured the most-watched Winter Paralympic Games telecast on record, the most-watched sled hockey game on record, the most-watched Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony since 2002, and a Paralympics streaming record.
“With the gorgeous backdrop of Northern Italy and spectacular performances of Team USA, Milan Cortina 2026 set a new standard of excellence for our Winter Paralympic production,” said Alexa Pritting, Supervising Producer, NBC Paralympics. “From a record number of hours on NBC, including Team USA’s historic win in the record-setting sled hockey gold medal game against rival Canada, and continued comprehensive coverage across our linear and digital platforms, these Games were elevated to the national spotlight they so rightly deserved.”
“With Winter Paralympic viewership almost doubling since Beijing 2022, it’s undeniable that the Paralympic movement is growing at a rapid pace,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “We’re honored to give these incredible athletes and stories a national platform and understand the seismic impact the LA28 Games will have on Para sports both in the U.S. and globally. We could not be more ready to build off this momentum for the first Summer Paralympic Games on home soil in over three decades.”
The record 22.7 million total viewers for Milan Cortina 2026 is up 90% vs. Beijing 2022 (11.9 million) and up 47% vs. the Summer Games in Paris in 2024 (15.4 million). Milan Cortina Paralympic viewership on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.1 million viewers, up 24% vs. Beijing. Primetime coverage on NBC and Peacock on Saturday, March 7, from 8-10 p.m. ET, averaged 1.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched Winter Paralympics telecast on record. The program included highlights of the Opening Ceremony and the first day of competition.
The live Opening Ceremony on March 6 on USA Network and Peacock, from historic Verona Olympic Arena, ranks as the most-watched Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony since the Salt Lake City 2002 Opening Ceremony and doubling viewership vs. the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony.
Team USA’s 6-2 win over Canada in the sled hockey gold medal game on March 15 averaged a TAD of 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and CNBC (11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET), making it the most-watched sled hockey game on record, surpassing the prior record of 869,000 viewers set at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games when Team USA defeated Russia, 1-0, in the gold medal game on NBC (12 p.m.-2:20 p.m. ET). Sunday’s game peaked at 1.4 million viewers at its conclusion (12:45 p.m.-1 p.m. ET) as Team USA claimed its fifth consecutive sled hockey gold medal. It was Team USA’s third victory over Canada in a gold medal hockey game at Milan Cortina 2026, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning gold during the Olympics and setting viewership milestones.
Led by Peacock’s comprehensive coverage, Milan Cortina 2026 was also the most-streamed Winter Paralympic Games of all time, compiling nearly 100 million total minutes (99.4), five times as many as Beijing. Additionally, Milan Cortina 2026 digital viewership was four times higher than all prior Winter Paralympics digital viewership combined.
--MILAN CORTINA 2026 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES--
