Warner Bros. Discovery has reported a significant surge in new subscribers and record viewership during the Paris 2024 Olympics, surpassing the figures achieved during the Tokyo 2020 Games. The company attributed this success to several factors, including the Olympics taking place within the European time zone, the launch of Max in 25 new markets, and the growing popularity of streaming Olympic content.

“Paris 2024 has marked the first real ‘streaming Olympics’ in Europe,” Warner Bros. Discovery stated. “People are now streaming Olympics content, with audiences noting the loss of coverage from domestic broadcasters.”

The Warner Bros. Discovery family, which encompasses Eurosport, Discovery+, and HBO Max, achieved a cumulative reach of over 215 million viewers in Europe, representing a 23% increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This includes Max and Discovery+, as well as Eurosport TV channels and free-to-air networks in Norway (TVNorge), Sweden (Kanal 5), and Finland (Kutonen, TV5).

On Sunday, August 4th, Warner Bros. Discovery set a new European record with 600 million minutes of streaming content consumed by Max and Discovery+ subscribers in a single day. This peak day featured highly anticipated events such as the Men's 100m final, the Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz Men's Tennis gold medal match, the conclusion of swimming events, and the women's road race in Cycling.

The company also reported a fourfold increase in unique streaming viewers across its platforms, including Max and Discovery+, throughout the Games compared to the previous summer Olympics.

JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery, expressed his satisfaction with the results: “Paris 2024 has exceeded all expectations for fans and audiences, and for Max and Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming business. We’ve added millions of new paying subscribers, and engaged millions of viewers daily on streaming who have watched billions of minutes of content during the Games.”

Saturday, July 27th marked a significant milestone for Warner Bros. Discovery, with the highest number of new paid streaming subscribers ever recorded in a single day in Europe for Max, Discovery+, and previously HBO Max. The company observed notable subscriber growth across all major European markets, particularly in France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK.