PARIS, July 28 (Reuters) - The Paris Olympics opening ceremony attracted 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 river Seine past Paris landmarks and singer Celine Dion's first public performance in years.

It is a crucial broadcast event for NBCUniversal, who 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.

The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games ceremony had 26.5 million viewers, while 40.7 million watched the London 2012 Olympics opener.

The Paris Games come after three consecutive Olympics -- Summer and Winter -- in Asia with the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, Tokyo's Summer Games, which were delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

"It's a ceremony like no other and Games like no other," said Olympic Broadcasting Services CEO Yiannis Exarchos.

"The hosts have put forward a vision that is unprecedented. An incredible vision. We are trying to showcase the Games in the best possible way."

The Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympics presented a challenging time zone for American audiences and were beset by the pandemic and held without spectators in the stadiums.

Leading up to the Paris Olympics, NBCUniversal had been vocal about its plans to attract viewers back to the event.

During its broadcast, singer Beyonce introduced Team USA in a video that aired just before the U.S. 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.