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NBC Sports Delivers Largest NBA All-Star Game Audience Since 2011, Averaging 8.8 Million Viewers on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo

Powered by “USA vs. The World” Format, 2026 NBA All-Star Game Peaked at Nearly 10 Million Viewers

NBA on NBC

February 16, 2026

The first NBA All-Star Game presented by NBC Sports since 2002 featured the widely-acclaimed “USA vs. The World” format and delivered the largest NBA All-Star audience since 2011, averaging 8.8 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, according to preliminary Nielsen data and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Highlighted by Anthony Edwards’ MVP performance (32 points, nine rebounds, three assists) for the victorious USA Stars, and Victor Wembanyama’s 33 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the World team, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game topped last year’s viewership by 87% (4.7 million viewers). Viewership peaked at 9.8 million viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET for the closing minutes of the USA Stripes’ 48-45 victory over World.

NBA All-Star coverage followed a full day of Milan Cortina Winter Olympic competition, and led into Primetime in Milan.

Sunday’s Milan Cortina Olympics coverage averaged 26.6 million viewers for the live afternoon window (Milan Prime: 2-5 p.m. ET) and Primetime in Milan (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) across NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network, according to preliminary Nielsen data and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

NBCUniversal’s Presentation of Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Averaged 26.6 Million Viewers on Sunday, Topping 20 Million Viewers for 9th Time in 10 Days

Through Sunday, nine of the 10 days of Milan Cortina Winter Olympic coverage have topped 20 million viewers, according to official Nielsen Big Data + Panel viewership and preliminary data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Through Sunday, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is averaging 24.5 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network – marking the most-watched Winter Games presentation at this point since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, according to official Nielsen Big Data + Panel viewership and preliminary data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Led by Peacock, Milan Cortina Olympics Extends Winter Games Streaming Record to 10+ Billion Minutes

Led by Peacock, a record 10.3 billion minutes of Milan Cortina Olympics content have been streamed, topping by nearly 50% all prior Winter Games combined (6.9 billion minutes).

NBA All-Star Game Delivers for Brands

In addition to tentpole scale, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game delivered instant impact for advertisers. Preliminary reporting from EDO shows that brands in the game saw a +44% greater search engagement rate on NBC vs. competitive NBA telecasts.