U.S. Tops Olympics Medal Tally; NBC Wins Big, Too

After more than two weeks of competition, the 2024 Paris Olympics wrapped up Sunday.

The U.S. women’s basketball team came back to beat France and win gold Sunday morning, securing the top spot in the medal tally for the country. The U.S. finished in a tie with China with 40 gold medals, but ended up on top for the fourth consecutive Summer Olympics by winning the silver medal count, 44–27. Team USA finished with 126 medals in total, 35 more than China, which had the second-most total medals. China was the last country to win more medals than the U.S. in a Summer Olympics when it hosted the Games in Beijing in 2008.

Overall, the Games were a recovery from the COVID-19-marred 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, as fans returned in droves to events, brands were able to activate on the ground, social media buzzed due to several breakout stars—and controversial topics—and viewership recovered drastically for NBC.

A Gold for NBCU

Weeks after acquiring media rights to the NBA, NBCU followed up with a successful showcase of the Paris Games. The network had a strong overall presentation ranging from its slew of broadcasters such as Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, to the addition of Gold Zone on Peacock, and even to the integration of Snoop Dogg.

The final Saturday in Paris—which showcased the gold medal triumphs of the U.S. men’s basketball and women’s soccer teams—delivered 30.7 million viewers, almost three times as much as the comparable Saturday from Tokyo in 2021, according to NBC. 

Team USA’s men’s basketball win over host France averaged 19.5 million viewers, the most for a gold medal basketball game since the 1996 Atlanta Games and over eight million more than the average 2024 NBA Finals game, while the USWNT’s win over Brazil averaged nine million viewers, the most for a soccer finale since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

While the Sunday viewership numbers are still yet to be revealed, the 16-day viewership of the Games since the opening ceremony on July 26 is at 31.3 million, an 82% increase from Tokyo.

NBCU’s viewership calculations for the Paris Olympics could be seen as inflated, as it combines viewership numbers from the afternoon, when it’s prime time in France, and re-airs during prime time in the U.S., but it’s nonetheless still a win for the network—especially because in 2014, NBCU renewed its rights deals to the Olympics until 2032.

Cash Haul

While the Olympics feature many millionaire professional athletes, being an Olympian doesn’t always guarantee a massive payday—or even a sustainable income.

Track and field became the first sport this year in which winners would receive a prize from the sport’s governing body, as it pledged $50,000 to each gold medal winner.

Most countries offer prizes to their athletes for winning medals. They go as high as $768,000 for Hong Kong, which had two gold medalists in fencing, épéeist Man Wai Vivian Kong and foilist Cheung Ka Long.

For the U.S., the medal rewards were $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. Some teams received performance incentives from their committees, like the U.S. swim team, which distributed a $250,000 prize to 48 swimmers.

Some athletes also received nonmonetary prizes from their countries, whether from the government or private donations. The Philippines’ Carlos Yulo, who won two gold medals in gymnastics, received a house and lot, furnished condominium, and free ramen.