The opening phase of Milano Cortina 2026 has seen a massive resurgence in viewership across Europe. Early data indicates that the return to broad free-to-air (FTA) distribution, following a renewed agreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is driving record-breaking engagement.
From France to Scandinavia, public broadcasters are reporting significant audience growth, with host nation Italy seeing a nearly seven-fold increase in specific event viewership compared to Beijing 2022.
Record Figures Across Key Markets
The structural shift back to public service broadcasting has translated into high market penetration:
- France: 43 million people have tuned in to France Télévisions, a 10 million increase over the same period in 2022 and 2018. Average viewing time has doubled to over three hours.
- Italy (Host Nation): RAI recorded a 4.9 million peak for alpine skiing, dwarfing the 712,000 viewers for the equivalent event during the previous Winter Games.
- Norway: NRK achieved a staggering 90% market share for marquee events like the biathlon mixed relay, with total viewership up 44%.
- Germany: ZDF and ARD are dominating linear TV. Luge coverage notably outperformed a high-profile DFB-Pokal football match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig by 1.6 million viewers.
Digital Transformation and Youth Reach
The 2026 Games are not just thriving on traditional TV but are setting digital records:
- BBC (UK): Reported over 100 million social media views and 17 million unique visitors to its dedicated sports page.
- Yle (Finland): Digital platforms generated 267 million minutes of consumption in the opening phase alone.
- France.tv: The streaming platform has already surpassed the total video views recorded for the entirety of the last two Winter Olympics combined.
Market Share Dominance in Northern Europe
Scandinavian and Alpine regions have shown exceptional concentration of attention. In Sweden, SVT reached 60% of the national population by February 10, while Austria’s ORF saw its most-watched women’s downhill race since 2010 with a 69% market share.