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The 2026 Winter Olympics delivered unprecedented viewership numbers for Austria’s public broadcaster, ORF, marking a historic milestone in the nation’s television history. Over six million viewers tuned in to watch the games, which took place between February 6th and 22nd, making it the most-watched sporting event in ORF’s history. This surge in viewership underscores the continued appeal of free-to-air broadcasts of major sporting events, according to ORF Director-General Roland Weißmann.
The games captivated a remarkable 81% of the Austrian television audience aged twelve and over, with the younger demographic (ages 12-29) showing particularly strong engagement, reaching market shares of up to 85%. This level of national interest highlights the cultural significance of the Winter Olympics and ORF’s role in delivering the event to a broad audience. The extensive coverage, totaling over 500 hours across ORF 1 and ORF Sport+, clearly resonated with viewers across the country.
Peak Moments and Popular Events
Several events stood out in terms of viewership. The men’s downhill race on February 7th drew a peak audience of 1.177 million viewers, averaging 1.088 million with a 73% market share. Notably, this was the most-watched Olympic downhill race in twelve years. The women’s downhill race on February 8th likewise proved incredibly popular, attracting up to 1.238 million viewers and an average of 1.052 million, achieving a 67% market share – a new Olympic best for ORF since 2010.
The men’s giant slalom on February 14th secured the third spot with up to 1.152 million viewers and an average of 990,000 during the second run, achieving a 69% market share. Beyond the alpine skiing events, the Big Air qualification of Anna Gasser on February 9th garnered 832,000 viewers (31% market share), while the Snowboard PGS featuring Benjamin Karl and Jakob Dusek reached up to 729,000 and an average of 659,000 (48% market share), setting a new TV record for snowboarding since 2010. Jonas Müller’s performance in the men’s singles luge event on February 8th also captivated audiences, drawing up to 693,000 and an average of 656,000 viewers (30% market share) – a luge record since 2002.
Strong Performance Across Platforms
The success wasn’t limited to traditional television. The combined broadcast of the Winter Olympics and the Vienna Opera Ball on February 12th achieved a daily market share of 52%, the highest ORF has recorded in eleven years. ORF Sport+ also experienced a significant boost, reaching a daily audience of nearly 300,000. Online streaming also saw record numbers, with 290 million minutes of usage, 28 million gross views, and 7.6 million net views recorded between February 4th and 22nd – the highest figures ever for Olympic Games streaming since measurements began in 2017. The livestream of the second run of the men’s slalom, with an average reach of 81,000 viewers, was the most-watched livestream of the Milan/Cortina games and the strongest livestream of an alpine ski competition ever recorded.
“Six million viewers show how important This proves to keep sporting events like the Olympic Games on free-to-air TV,” stated Roland Weißmann, ORF Director-General. “I am particularly pleased with the record ratings for those athletes who are often in the shadow of alpine and Nordic sports. More than half a million fans watching live on TV – that’s what sports like luge, skeleton, freestyle, and snowboard cross and PGS have earned. My thanks also go to the ORF Olympic team, which, spread across many venues, provided great coverage with up to 25 hours of live reporting per day.”
Viewership was particularly strong in the Burgenland region (88%), followed by Salzburg (84%), and Carinthia and Styria (both 83%). Combined, Hitradio Ö3 and ORF regional radio stations reached 3.9 million listeners aged ten and over daily, representing 48.1% of the population.
The success of ORF’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics demonstrates the enduring power of live sports and the importance of accessible broadcasting. As ORF looks ahead, maintaining this level of engagement and continuing to innovate its coverage will be key to serving the Austrian public. What comes next for ORF will likely involve further investment in both traditional broadcasting and digital platforms to cater to evolving viewing habits.
What are your thoughts on the record viewership numbers? Share your comments below and let us know what you enjoyed most about the 2026 Winter Olympics coverage.