PARIS (Reuters) - The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics drew 28.6 million U.S. viewers, according to preliminary data from Comcast's ( CMCSA ) NBCUniversal on Saturday, which the company said was the most-watched start to a summer Games since London in 2012.

The celebration on Friday featured athlete delegations floating down the Seine past Paris landmarks and singer Celine Dion's first public performance in years.

It is a crucial broadcast event for NBCUniversal which paid $7.65 billion to extend its rights to air the Games in the U.S. through 2032. NBCUniversal's Olympics media-rights deal is the largest in the world.

The viewership figure, which includes NBC and streaming service Peacock, is a boon for the broadcaster compared to just 17 million viewers for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Both the Tokyo and Beijing 2022 Olympics presented a challenging time zone for American audiences and were beset by the pandemic.

Leading up to the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal had been vocal about its plans to attract viewers back to the event. During its broadcast, singer Beyoncé introduced Team USA in a video that aired just before the American athletes appeared on the river, one of many celebrities who will take part in NBCUniversal's coverage throughout the Olympics.

It will also infuse AI technology into its coverage, including recreating the voice of sports commentator Al Michaels.