- Ice Hockey enjoys the largest popularity growth – plus 6 points – from 2022 to 2026 Games
- Fans are comfortable with a six-hour TV delay for NBCUniversal prime time offerings
Italy is winning over China. This Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are trending to be more popular, revealing significantly higher interest than its predecessor, the 2022 Beijing Games. Competition is underway with the Opening Ceremonies on Friday, February 6.
Nearly two in three Americans (64%) say they will watch. This is a 27-point increase compared to the 2022 Olympics, where the number sat at 37 percent. Notably, the biggest difference lies in the decrease of Americans who indicate they will not watch the Olympics altogether, which is 36 percent in 2026, compared to 46 percent in 2022.
“This is an opportunity for the Olympic Winter games to regain its popularity at a level like the late 20th century. Milano Cortina will not evoke political distractions,” said Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management and the Seton Hall Sports Poll at the Seton Hall Stillman School of Business. “The resurgence of the Canadian/United States hockey rivalry, the return of Lindsey Vonn plus the staples of snowboarding and figure skating give these winter Olympics a chance to succeed. The calendar also works for Milano Cortina with a Super Bowl audience, looking for more before the NBA and college basketball take hold.”
These results are derived from a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted January 27th through 30th among 1,596 U.S. adults. The Poll, which is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute within Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, features a nationally representative sample from YouGov Plc., weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and geography with a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percent.
Figure Skating, Snowboarding, Ski Jumping and Hockey Remain America’s Preferences
While figure skating holds its place as America’s favorite winter Olympic sport, ice hockey has jumped considerably for the 2026 Games. Over one-third of Americans (38%) are most eager to watch figure skating during the 2026 Winter Olympics. An impressive 3 in 5 self-described Olympic Fans (59%) declare Figure Skating their favorite.
Ice hockey’s popularity grows six points in this Poll rising to 24 percent from 18 percent in 2022. Rounding out the top six choices among Americans are snowboarding (26%), ski jumping (25%), bobsledding (22%), and speed skating (21%). The inclusion of new sports like ski mountaineering in 2026 suggests an opportunity for these events to attract a wider audience in future Games. Looking back to the 2022 Beijing Games, American interest was highest in figure skating (33%), ski jumping (25%), snowboarding (23%), speed skating (23%), bobsledding (21%), and ice hockey (18%).
Streaming and History Bridge the Time Zone Gap
Milano Cortina 2026 is scheduled for 19 days of competition and ceremonies through Sunday, February 22nd. Viewers can watch the events on NBCUniversal’s linear broadcast and streaming services platforms, including Peacock, NBC, NBC.com, USA, CNBC and the NBC app.
Time favors Italy over its predecessor, China. In contrast to the Beijing 2022 Games, which had a 12-hour time difference with the U.S. EST, the relative six-hour difference between the U.S. and Italy seems to pose less of a problem for viewers. More Americans in 2026 report (64%) that watching events after they occur does not reduce their enthusiasm for the games compared to 2022 (56%). There is strong precedent for the potential success of Milano Cortina 2026 events packaged for NBCUniversal’s prime time broadcasts. The Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994, and Torino 2006 Winter Olympic games were successful for their American carrying networks, CBS and NBC.
The increasing availability of streaming services and on-demand viewing is essential to the ultimate viewer turnout. Potential viewers can access NBCUniversal’s streaming platforms. Three in ten of Americans (30%) have a subscription to Peacock to access live and bonus content regarding Milano Cortina 2026.
Social media’s role in engaging with the Games is increasingly important to how Americans follow the Olympics. There is a growth of seven points – 2026 at 27 percent vs. 2022 at 20 percent – of those who anticipate using online sources or social media for results before watching pre-recorded events, reflecting the growing trend of multi-platform Olympic consumption.
January 2026 Seton Hall Sports Poll Results
Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Chief Methodologist – daniel.ladik@shu.edu
This Poll was conducted January 27th through January 30th and includes responses from 1,596 U.S. adults with a margin of error of +/- 3.0%. The sample mirrors the U.S. Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.
Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
*Note: Presented in each table, Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some tables break out the Avid and Casual segments.
Q2b. What is your level of interest in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games?
Q3b. On which device, if at all, will you be watching 2026 Olympic Winter Games?
Q8a. Do you plan on watching any part of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics? [Feb 2022]
The opening ceremony for the Olympic Winter Games in Italy, officially called the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, will be held on Feb. 6th with the closing ceremony on Feb. 22nd.
Q11a. Do you have an account for any NBC Universal streaming platforms including Peacock, NBC.com, and/or the NBC app to access live and bonus 2026 Olympics content?
Q11b. Do you plan on signing up and/or subscribing to any of the NBCUniversal streaming platforms including Peacock, NBC.com, and/or the NBC app before the start of the 2026 Olympics to access live and bonus 2026 Olympics content?
Q11c. Given the six-hour time difference between the U.S. and Italy, many of the events will not be broadcast live on NBC in traditional prime time. Does this diminish your excitement that you will be watching a pre-recorded event because of the time difference?
Q8b. Given the time difference between the U.S. and Beijing, many of the events will not be broadcast live in the U.S. Does this diminish your excitement that you will be watching a pre-recorded event because of the time difference? [FEB 2022]
Q12a. Are you planning to check the internet/social media for any event results prior to watching any (pre-recorded) the events of a primetime live broadcast?
Q8c. Are you planning to check the internet/social media for any event results prior to watching any events on broadcast TV? [FEB 2022]
Q13. The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are scheduled to include a record 116 events over 16 disciplines. Which of the following are you most interested in? Please check all that apply.
Q11. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are scheduled to include a record 109 events over 15 disciplines. Which of the following are you the most interested in? Please check all that apply. [Feb 2022]
