MILAN — The U.S. Figure skating team has defended its Olympic crown, winning a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games this week. While American Chloe Kim qualified first in the women’s halfpipe, she ultimately secured a silver medal, having previously won gold in the two preceding Olympic Games.
Surveys conducted prior to the Games indicated that figure skating and snowboarding are particularly popular with fans, showcasing the athleticism of quadruple jumps, Salchows, triple cork 1440s, and method grabs. According to a Reviews.org survey of 1,000 Americans, 62% indicated they were likely to watch snowboarding.
Snowboarding has grown from an Olympic novelty to a prominent sport, now featuring 11 events: men’s and women’s halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboardcross, big air, slopestyle, and mixed team snowboardcross.
Ski jumping (58%), figure skating (56%), hockey (54%), and speed skating (53%) too ranked highly in terms of American viewership, according to the Reviews.org survey.
State-by-State Popularity
Reviews.org also identified the most popular Winter Olympic sport in each state. Snowboarding proved dominant in the West, ranking first in California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Interestingly, Utah favored bobsledding, potentially due to the presence of the Utah Olympic Park bobsled, luge, and skeleton track in Park City.
Nationwide, the breakdown of most popular sports by state is as follows: Curling (13 states), Figure Skating (10 states), Snowboarding (7 states), Luge (6 states), Short-track speedskating (2 states), Ice hockey (1 state), Biathlon (1 state), Bobsled (2 states), and Speedskating (1 state).
A Seton Hall Sports poll of 1,596 U.S. Adults showed similar results to the Reviews.org survey. ESPN reported that figure skating was the most anticipated sport among Olympic fans (59%) and female fans (53%), while snowboarding followed with 42% of Olympic fans, 33% of casual fans, 26% of male fans, and 27% of female fans.
Shifting Viewing Habits
According to Reviews.org, 72% of Americans plan to watch the Milan Cortina Games. Still, viewing habits are evolving, with social media clips (64%) now surpassing traditional TV or cable (59%) as the most popular way to follow the action. Streaming services and apps are also gaining traction, with 57% of viewers planning to utilize them, while 35% will watch free, over-the-air coverage.
NBC reported that viewership of the Milan Cortina Olympics is up substantially—a 93% increase—over the first five days compared to the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, averaging 26.5 million viewers across its platforms. This represents the most-watched Winter Games at this point since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sport is most popular with American viewers?
According to a Reviews.org survey, snowboarding is the most popular Winter Olympic sport among American viewers, with 62% indicating they are likely to watch it.
Which state favors bobsledding over skiing or snowboarding?
Utah is the only state listed as favoring bobsledding, potentially due to the presence of the Utah Olympic Park bobsled, luge, and skeleton track in Park City.
How are Americans watching the Olympics this year?
72% of Americans plan to watch the Milan Cortina Games, with 64% planning to watch via social media clips, 59% via traditional TV or cable, and 57% via streaming services or apps.
As the Milan Cortina Games continue, what impact will these shifting viewing habits have on the future of Olympic broadcasting and fan engagement?
