European Broadcasting Union Members have delivered their most-watched Winter Olympic Games on record, with Milano Cortina 2026 generating historic reach and engagement across linear and digital platforms.
Public service broadcasters across Europe reported dominant market shares and record streaming volumes, underlining the continued strength of free-to-air Olympic coverage in national markets, even amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s multi-platform agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
Andreas Aristodemou, Director of Olympics, EBU said: “Reach at this scale is something that only public service media can provide, bringing entire nations together free-to-air for moments that matter. We are proud to work in partnership with the IOC to ensure the Olympic Games remain accessible to the widest possible audiences across Europe.”
In Austria, ORF recorded its most-watched Winter Games ever, while in the Czech Republic, Česká Televize significantly increased reach compared with Beijing 2022.
Nordic markets also reported standout results. Finland’s Yle delivered record digital viewing on Yle Areena, while Norway’s NRK set multiple online usage records alongside dominant linear shares for cross-country skiing.
In Germany, ARD and ZDF both reported strong average audiences and peaks across biathlon and luge, with ARD highlighting record usage of its Mediathek streaming platform.
Host broadcaster RAI reached two-thirds of Italians across the Games, with both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies drawing major primetime audiences.
The Netherlands’ NOS, Sweden’s SVT and Slovenia’s RTV SLO each reported their strongest Winter Olympic performances in years, combining high linear reach with significant growth in livestream starts and online video views.
In Switzerland, SRG SSR highlighted particularly strong alpine skiing audiences across its RTS, RSI and SRF channels, alongside more than 30 million livestream views.
Ukraine’s Suspilne adapted its distribution strategy in response to electricity shortages, shifting greater emphasis to digital and social platforms while maintaining a linear presence. The broadcaster reported record social media performance and strong YouTube and streaming engagement.
In the UK, BBC Sport delivered its largest ever Winter Olympic consumption, driven by record streaming volumes across BBC iPlayer and digital platforms, alongside strong linear audiences for Team GB medal events.
Across markets, broadcasters credited favourable time zones and cross-platform availability for boosting reach and engagement, with several reporting their highest-ever Winter Olympic digital usage.
