Paris 2024 Paralympics Hits Record Viewership

The Paris 2024 Paralympics set a new benchmark for live coverage, with an astounding 763.3 million hours watched by audiences globally, reflecting an impressive 83% increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

This surge in viewership is underpinned by a remarkable total of 12,941 hours of coverage broadcast worldwide, demonstrating a 48 per cent rise from the previous Games in Tokyo, and a striking 154% increase from Rio 2016.

Commenting on the strong viewership, IPC chief executive, Mike Peters, said: “Thanks to the outstanding performances of the Paralympians in those iconic venues in Paris, the tremendous work of media rights holders around the world, the breathtaking images provided by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), and the dedication of the IPC’s own broadcast team, Paris 2024 broke pretty much every Paralympic broadcasting record.”

Peters further noted the impact of European media rights holders such as France TV, ZDF, ARD, Rai, and Channel 4, who significantly ramped up their live coverage compared to previous Games. This strategic move resulted in a dramatic increase in live viewership hours consumed, far surpassing the figures from Tokyo 2020.

The overall live audience for the Paris Games also expanded significantly, growing by 40 per cent in comparison to Tokyo 2020, and 117% compared to Rio 2016.

The ceremonies played a central role in capturing audience attention, with the opening ceremony documented to have attracted a cumulative TV audience of nearly 349.8 million and the closing ceremony drawing 193.6 million viewers.

Additionally, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recorded more than 305 million video views across its digital platforms, with engagements reaching 16.1 million.

Notably, searches related to the Paralympics eclipsed one billion for the first time, indicating a growing public interest in the events.

These statistics were compiled by Nielsen Sports on behalf of the IPC, highlighting that Paris 2024 offered the most comprehensive coverage of the Paralympics to date, featuring live broadcasts for all 22 sports represented at the Games.

Among the various disciplines, para athletics led in airtime, with 1,648 hours of coverage, followed by para swimming with 860 hours, para table tennis at 615 hours, wheelchair tennis with 498 hours, and wheelchair basketball amassing 434 hours.

The para swimming competitions commanded a cumulative audience of 1.3 billion viewers over the ten-day schedule, while para athletics was viewed by approximately 1.2 billion during its 11 days of coverage.

Additionally, nine sports, including para powerlifting and para rowing, achieved record cumulative TV audiences.

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