Ratings Roundup: 2026 World Baseball Classic is Most Watched WBC Telecast EVER with Over 10 Million Viewers

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics is most watched on record, hitting over 22 million viewers; FOX INDYCAR has its best start since 2008 with over a million viewers; and more.

10,784,000 Viewers: World Baseball Classic Final on FOX and FOX Deportes Delivers Most-Watched WBC Telecast Ever

10,784,000 viewers watched on FOX & FOX Deportes as Venezuela won the 2026 World Baseball Classic 3-2 over Team USA on Tuesday Night.

On FOX, the telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers:

Most-watched WBC telecast ever on any network

Peak Viewership: 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 PM ET on FOX

Up 128% vs. 2023's USA-Japan WBC Final on FS1 (4,480,000)

Most-watched Tuesday on FOX since game 4 of 2025 World Series

2026 World Baseball Classic Tournament Average:

1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1 and FS2, up 156% vs. 2023 (506,000) and ranking as the most-watched WBC ever across English language networks.

Milan Cortina 2026 is Most-Watched Winter Paralympics on Record, Reaching 22.7 Million Total Viewers Across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC

NBCUniversal's coverage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games were the most-watched Winter Paralympics on record, reaching 22.7 million total viewers (TV only) over 10 days across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC, and almost doubling the total viewership for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, according to official live same day Nielsen Big Data Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics. NBCU's coverage also featured the most-watched Winter Paralympic Games telecast on record, the most-watched sled hockey game on record, the most-watched Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony since 2002, and a Paralympics streaming record.

With the gorgeous backdrop of Northern Italy and spectacular performances of Team USA, Milan Cortina 2026 set a new standard of excellence for our Winter Paralympic production, said Alexa Pritting, Supervising Producer, NBC Paralympics. From a record number of hours on NBC, including Team USA's historic win in the record-setting sled hockey gold medal game against rival Canada, and continued comprehensive coverage across our linear and digital platforms, these Games were elevated to the national spotlight they so rightly deserved.

With Winter Paralympic viewership almost doubling since Beijing 2022, it's undeniable that the Paralympic movement is growing at a rapid pace, said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. We're honored to give these incredible athletes and stories a national platform and understand the seismic impact the LA28 Games will have on Para sports both in the U.S. and globally. We could not be more ready to build off this momentum for the first Summer Paralympic Games on home soil in over three decades.

The record 22.7 million total viewers for Milan Cortina 2026 is up 90% vs. Beijing 2022 (11.9 million) and up 47% vs. the Summer Games in Paris in 2024 (15.4 million). Milan Cortina Paralympic viewership on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.1 million viewers, up 24% vs. Beijing. Primetime coverage on NBC and Peacock on Saturday, March 7, from 8-10 p.m. ET, averaged 1.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched Winter Paralympics telecast on record. The program included highlights of the Opening Ceremony and the first day of competition.

The live Opening Ceremony on March 6 on USA Network and Peacock, from historic Verona Olympic Arena, ranks as the most-watched Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony since the Salt Lake City 2002 Opening Ceremony and doubling viewership vs. the Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony.

Team USA's 6-2 win over Canada in the sled hockey gold medal game on March 15 averaged a TAD of 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and CNBC (11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET), making it the most-watched sled hockey game on record, surpassing the prior record of 869,000 viewers set at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games when Team USA defeated Russia, 1-0, in the gold medal game on NBC (12 p.m.-2:20 p.m. ET). Sunday's game peaked at 1.4 million viewers at its conclusion (12:45 p.m.-1 p.m. ET) as Team USA claimed its fifth consecutive sled hockey gold medal. It was Team USA's third victory over Canada in a gold medal hockey game at Milan Cortina 2026, with both the men's and women's teams winning gold during the Olympics and setting viewership milestones.

Led by Peacock's comprehensive coverage, Milan Cortina 2026 was also the most-streamed Winter Paralympic Games of all time, compiling nearly 100 million total minutes (99.4), five times as many as Beijing. Additionally, Milan Cortina 2026 digital viewership was four times higher than all prior Winter Paralympics digital viewership combined.

Bruins-Devils Delivers ESPN's Most-Viewed NHL Game in the New Rights Deal

The 2025-26 NHL season on ESPN continued Monday with an ESPN doubleheader, beginning with Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey devils which delivered ESPN's most-viewed regular season game in the new rights deal (excluding Opening Night and Stadium Series). The game averaged 880K viewers (peak: 1.1M), 116% vs, last season's NHL on ESPN average.

Also on Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins-Colorado Avalanche matchup averaged 503K viewers, 23% vs. last season's NHL on ESPN average.

Through 36 games, the NHL on ESPN and ABC is averaging 786K viewers, 24% YoY.

NASCAR Cup Series: Sunday's Event at Las Vegas Earned a 1.44 Household Rating on FS1 with an Average of 2.8 Million Viewers Tuned in Per Minute

Down -8% YOY, but up 11% over the 2025 FS1 NCS race average (2.5 million)

The race ranked as the #2 sports event on cable television Sunday behind the World Baseball Classic Semifinal between USA/Dominican Republic, also on FS1

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/03/20/ratings-roundup-milano-cortina-...
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