Along with other blockbuster specials, the average audience of the Opening Ceremonies was down from previous years. Nonetheless, it will rank among the top rated telecasts of the year
NBC NLSN reported the Opening Ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics averaged 16.7 million viewers in primetime. This was a sizable decline in primetime TV viewing compared to the 2016 Rio games (-37%) and the 2012 London games (-59%). The Opening Ceremonies of London was the most watched since the Summer Olympics returned to NBC beginning in 1988. The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea averaged 28.3 million viewers. Despite the percent double-digit loss in viewing, the Opening Ceremonies garnered a larger audience than such blockbuster programming as the NBA Finals, The Oscars, Grammy Awards and Golden Globes all airing earlier this year. In recent months only Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with an average audience of 17.1 million viewers, outpaced the audience delivery of the Opening Ceremonies. Furthermore, excluding the Super Bowl lead-out program The Equalizer (20.4 million) it was the most watched standalone entertainment program since July 2020. Average Audience Opening Ceremonies Summer Olympics (Primetime) 2020 Tokyo 16.
