Simone Biles Retirement Rumors Could Dent NBC’s Recent Business Decisions – Report Simone Biles' trials drew record viewers, but NBC now weighs gymnastics’ future as track and field surges in populari

On the surface, the 2024 Team USA trials offered NBC a reason to celebrate. Television audiences surged across the board, driven in part by Simone Biles’ historic third Olympic team selection. Her all-around qualifying performance drew an average of 7.6 million viewers, peaking at 8.2 million during the final rotation. That number eclipsed the COVID-delayed 2021 trials by 24 percent and underscored her enduring pull on the American imagination. Track and field, meanwhile, saw its own bump, averaging 4.5 million viewers over eight nights, up a notable 38 percent from 2021. Yet while the numbers soared, they also raised a more complicated question about long-term programming vision: How long can gymnastics continue to carry this weight?

NBC’s recent broadcast moves suggest a lopsided answer