The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games have concluded, delivering historic results both on the sporting arenas and in broadcast statistics. NBCUniversal recorded its highest viewership since 2014, attracting an average of 23.5 million viewers daily. Team USA is celebrating its best-ever performance in the history of the Winter Games, while European broadcasters like Warner Bros. Discovery report unprecedented streaming interest. The event has defined a new era of sports consumption in digital media.
Record Viewership in the USA
NBCUniversal attracted 23.5 million viewers daily, which is the best result for Winter Games broadcasts in twelve years.
Historic Success for Team USA
The American team recorded its best-ever performance in the history of the Winter Games in terms of medal haul.
Streaming Dominance in Europe
Warner Bros. Discovery announced record digital reach, noting an unprecedented increase in the number of users on streaming services.
Sporting Success of Eileen Gu
The skier representing China confirmed her status as a global superstar, dominating freestyle events.
The conclusion of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo marks a turning point for modern sports broadcasting. The NBCUniversal network and associated streaming platforms recorded an average daily viewership of 23.5 million people, which is the best result since the Sochi Games in 2014. This is almost a twofold increase compared to the competitions in Beijing four years ago. This success is attributed not only to the convenient time zone for Americans but primarily to the excellent results of the US team, which dominated many disciplines, setting its new record of 12 gold medals, though the total count of 33 medals did not beat the record from Vancouver. Simultaneously in Europe, the Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate announced the highest-ever viewership results on streaming services, confirming the progressing digitalization of media. The commercial success of the Games went hand in hand with sporting emotions, symbolized by the feats of Eileen Gu. The Chinese athlete dominating freestyle skiing became an icon of the competition, as did Alysa Liu in figure skating, whose performance was hailed as groundbreaking for the discipline. The hosts also have reasons to be proud; despite initial Italian skepticism and organizational problems, the successes of Italian female athletes ignited national enthusiasm, though the media raised the issue of a lack of women in the top leadership structures of Italian sport. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, with only 16 nations competing in nine disciplines. Over more than a hundred years, the event has evolved from a local competition into a global media spectacle, gathering billions of viewers on screens of various devices. Despite the triumphs, the Games were not free from controversy. The biggest stir was caused by curling disputes over the so-called double touch of the stone, sparking a broad debate over judging precision. The stance of the International Olympic Committee regarding the admission of athletes from aggressor countries was also a subject of political tensions. Nevertheless, the closing ceremony at the Milan arena closed this chapter, passing the Olympic flag to the next hosts. The Games in Milan and Cortina will be remembered as those which, after years of pandemic, restored the full marketing and spectacular shine to winter sports. „This was the most beautiful moment of my career, seeing all those passionate faces in the stands.” — Eileen Gu From an infrastructural and social perspective, Italy proved it can integrate modernity with traditional Alpine resorts, though the costly organization forced many compromises. Polish fans closely followed the progress of their national athletes, and high viewership in the country confirmed that winter sports remain a key element of sporting identity in Poland, despite changing climatic conditions making training in the region more difficult.