Although TV viewership of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games struggled globally, streaming platforms surged in viewers and watch minutes.

In the US, NBCUniversal (NBU) saw TV ratings drop 42% from the 19.8 million average for PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games broadcast was still the highest watched primetime show (excluding the NFL), averaging 11.4 million viewers.

Live-streaming surged by 78% compared to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, with 4.3 billion minutes being streamed across Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and social media platforms.

Commenting on NBC’s broadcast of the Olympics, NBU chairman of television and streaming, Mark Lazarus, said: “NBCUniversal’s presentation of the Beijing Olympics dominated across all platforms and once again showed that nothing captivates Americans for 18 consecutive days and nights like the Olympic Games.”

“The power of the NBC broadcast network delivered large audiences every night, while USA Network registered the best two-week stretch of any sports and entertainment cable network.

“With sharply increased signups, usage and awareness, Peacock streamed every Olympic moment for the first time ever and delivered a user experience that was greatly enhanced from just six months ago.

“Over the course of the Games, we delivered what was promised to our advertising partners and delivered unmatched promotion for our company.

In Europe, US-based media company, Discovery, reported record viewership and engagement with over 156 million Europeans visiting Discovery platforms and consuming more than one billion minutes.

The media platform also saw a 50% increase on subscriptions to streaming service Discovery+, while linear TV viewers tuned in for 24% longer, despite a 10% drop in overall TV viewership compared to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Commenting on Discovery’s coverage of the Olympics, Discovery president of sports, Andrew Georgiou, said: “The Olympics is a standout example of how Discovery is unique in its ability to grow audience and engagement for sports and the greatest events in the world.”

“It is a winning formula as we utilise our unrivalled scale across every platform, maximising reach and giving consumers the ability to watch wherever they choose.

“From Discovery+ to our free-to-air networks and Eurosport channels, as well as live updates, news and on-demand video from our ad-supported digital and social platforms,” he said.

While in Australia, the national linear TV audience reached 12.5 million viewers through Channel 7’s network, with an average of 725k tuning into the national broadcast of the evening session.

It was a similar story for live-streaming, with viewers streaming 376 million minutes of Seven’s coverage, up 254% from PyeongChang 2018, the network also saw 7plus registrations surge, with the platform moving past 11.5 million registered accounts.

Commenting on Seven’s coverage, Seven West Media chief revenue officer and director of olympics, Kurt Burnette, said, the success of Beijing 2022 is a testament to Seven’s outstanding coverage and exceptional line-up of expert commentators and hosts, and reaffirms the power and value that premium sport has in delivering brands to young and engaged audiences across multiple screens.

Moving back to the US, NBC closed out a difficult two of weeks for their TV viewership on Sunday, with the network drawing in 6.57 million viewers in their final Beijing primetime numbers.