The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off with an opening ceremony on Friday that averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Milan Cortina Olympics’ flashy opening ceremony averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, a jump of 34% from the opening for the 2022 winter games in Beijing, per preliminary data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Academy Awards-nominated costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini raced against time for this one-of-a-kind project in his artistic career.

And NBC will likely get big numbers again on Sunday as the network airs both Super Bowl LX and its Olympics coverage.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games kicked off to a solid ratings start with its opening ceremony, seeing a 34% uptick from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony, which kicked off at 11 a.

The 2026 Winter Olympics officially get underway on Friday, Feb. 6 with the opening ceremony. But at what time is it? Here's what to know:

Here’s everything you need to know about the Milan 2026 Olympics Opening Ceremony. The ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. E.T.) on Feb. 6, 2026, in Milan and is set to last around two to three hours. The ceremony coincides with the arrival of the Olympic torch relay and the formal gathering of athletes from around the world.