Team USA’s Olympic gold medal game against France smashes viewership records for first time since '96 Atlanta edition
Team USA's gold medal-clinching victory against host team France in the 2024 Paris Olympics became the most-watched men's basketball finals since the 1996 Olympics, according to fast national data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
NBC reported that the USA vs. France game drew an average of 19.5 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched gold medal game since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Viewership peaked at 22.7 million as Team USA secured their win.
The 19.5 million average viewership was the highest since the 25.8 million viewers for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics men's basketball finals between Team USA and Yugoslavia.
For comparison, the 2000 Sydney Olympics saw 16.3 million viewers for the USA vs. France finals. Viewership dropped significantly to 6.2 million in the 2004 Athens Olympics between Argentina and Italy, and further declined to 6.0 million for the 2008 Beijing finals between the USA and Spain.
In the 2012 London Games, the rematch between the USA and Spain averaged 11.7 million viewers, while the 2016 Rio Olympics finals between the USA and Serbia saw a slight drop to 11.2 million viewers.
During the pandemic-impacted 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the USA vs. France finals averaged 9.3 million viewers.
How Team USA toppled France for the gold medal
The 2024 Paris Olympics concluded its men's basketball tournament on Saturday with a showdown between the host nation, France, and the star-studded USA team in the finals.
France kept the game competitive, maintaining a single-digit deficit for most of the match, but USA, led by Steph Curry, pulled away in the final quarter to secure their fifth consecutive Olympic gold.
USA set the tone early in the gold-medal game, establishing a 20-15 lead over France. LeBron James initiated the scoring with a powerful dunk, while Devin Booker energized the offense with seven points in the first period.
The game remained tightly contested as the second quarter unfolded, with France briefly seizing the lead. However, the Americans responded with pivotal plays, including a corner triple from Steph Curry and an and-one from Booker.
By halftime, Team USA had stretched their advantage to eight points, 49-41, despite a strong finish from France's Guerschon Yabusele, who capped the half with a tough reverse layup.
The third quarter saw a back-and-forth battle, with France narrowing the gap. Key contributions from Victor Wembanyama and Evan Fournier kept the game close.
However, Team USA held onto a six-point lead heading into the final quarter, bolstered by a corner three from Curry and a lob finish by Anthony Davis.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Team USA began to pull away, fueled by Curry's hot shooting.
Curry drained four crucial 3-pointers in the fourth, including a step-back and a difficult shot that extended the lead to 96-87.
A fastbreak dunk from Booker sealed the victory, and Team USA secured their fifth consecutive Olympic gold with a 98-87 win.
Wembanyama led France with a game-high 26 points and added seven rebounds, while Guerschon Yabusele contributed 20 points.
For USA, Curry led the scoring with 24 points, while Durant and Booker each added 15 points. LeBron James finished with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
With USA securing the 11-point victory in the finals, they claimed the gold, leaving France with the silver medal.
Serbia, led by NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, captured the bronze after defeating Germany in the third-place game. Germany, led by Dennis Schroder, finished fourth.
Rounding out the top five was Team Canada, which was eliminated early by France.
The 6th to 12th spots were occupied by Australia, Brazil, Greece, South Sudan, Spain, Japan and Puerto Rico, respectively.