More than 2 billion people tuned into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics across linear TV and digital platforms, according to independent research conducted by Publicis Sport & Entertainment on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

That is 5% higher than the numbers watching the 2018 games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Not only was the number of people watching the games on the rise, but the time watched was too, 713 billion minutes of the Beijing Winter Olympics was seen across the Olympic media rights partners’ channels, an 18% increase on four years prior.

The increase in viewing minutes may have been expected as the games media rights partners made more coverage available than ever before, a record 120,670 hours of it through digital platforms.

The shift to online engagement was clear, with 68 million users viewing the Olympics web and app platforms, more than double the reach of the PyeongChang games.

Commenting on the success of the games, IOC president, Thomas Bach, said: “Beijing was the most digitally engaged Olympic Winter Games in history.”

“In close cooperation with our media rights partners around the world, more coverage was made available than ever before, including a record amount via digital platforms.

“With a goal audience of over 2 billion, the Olympic Winter Games continue to be one of the most watched sports events in the world,” he said.

This news follows the release of the IOC’s 2017-2020/21 Olympic-cycle financial results, in which, US7.6 billion (AUD$12 billion) in revenue was reported.