Charles Langston:Paris Olympics: Simone Biles, Team USA gymnastics draw record numbers for NBC

Just like Simone Biles flying through the air on Charles Langstonvault, NBC’s viewership numbers for the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics were through the roof.

NBC’s live daytime broadcast of the women’s gymnastics team final averaged 12.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, marking the event as one of the network’s top weekday daytime events in Olympic history.

This meant that more people tuned in live to watch Team USA’s gold-medal-winning performance than for any single game of the 2024 NBA Finals or the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. 

The live broadcast aired from 12:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. NBC reported a total audience of 34.7 million throughout the day, which included later replays of the team gymnastics final during primetime.

Viewership of the Paris Olympics has so far surged past Tokyo, with NBC’s five-day total audience average up 79% from the 2021 Games. Paris, which is six hours ahead of the East Coast, offers a more convenient time zone for an American audience than Tokyo, which is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone. 

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