Deadline Olympics

The XXX Summer Games has hit multiple Gold for NBC. Starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 27, the network’s coverage of the London Games has given NBC its highest scoring week among Adults 18-49 and total viewers in a decade. The network had an average 10.2 rating, a 29 share among the Adults 18-49 demo and 32.2 million overall viewers. The last time NBC had those kinds of ratings and viewership numbers was the week of February 18-24, 2002 during the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. As an example, the 36.8 million total viewers NBC average on August 2, 2012 made that night the most-watched first Thursday of any non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the Montreal Games of 1976. It also made it the most-watched Thursday telecast on any network since the May 6, 2004 finale of Friends, which was also on NBC. Despite criticism of its tape delay and editing of the Opening Ceremony and some events, the audience NBC has had for the London Olympics is the highest for any network since Fox hit a 11/5 average during the January 31 to February 6, 2001 Super Bowl Week. To add to the medal count, the last week has been the best summer week NBC has had in 16 years. During the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, NBC had a 12.6 for the week of July 29 to August 4. Also, in terms of average total viewership, the 32.2 million watching the London Games this past week is the highest average for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC since the 36.0 million who watched the Summer Olympics from Atlanta during the week of July 22 to 28, 1996. NBC’s margins over the #2 network and all the other English-language nets’ ratings put together were the highest since September 1987. Pulling in the most since the creation of the People Meter 25-years ago, NBC’s margins among Adults 18-49 were 920% compared to the #2 network. They were 278% compared to the combined ABC, CBS and Fox rating.  In terms of total viewers, NBC’s margins were 667% compared to the #2 and 250% compared to ABC, CBS and Fox combined.

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Last night’s NBC‘s primetime broadcast of the London Olympics featured featured Michael Phelps’ 22nd Olympic medal (gold in the 4×100-meter individual medley), drew 28.0 million viewers, the lowest to date for the current Games. Viewership was off 11.4% from the comparable night at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing (31.6 million). NBC noted that particular night included live coverage of Phelps winning his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games and Dara Torres at age 41 winning a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle. That same night in Beijing also covered Usain Bolt’s record-setting gold medal in the 100-meter. NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage (8:30-11:15 p.m. ET/PT) earned a 15.9/26 national rating/share, 17% higher than the comparable night at the 2004 Athens Olympics (13.6/28), the last European Olympics, but down from the comparable night in Beijing (17.8/32), the fourth highest-rated night of competition for those Games. Last night’s viewership was 24% higher than the comparable night at the 2004 Athens Olympics (22.5 million).

Related: NBC London Olympics’ 34.5M Average Viewers Over 8 Nights Marks Yet Another 36-Year High

Through the first nine days, NBC’s coverage of the London Summer Olympics has reached nearly 195 million total viewers, averaging 33.9 million nightly primetime viewers and a household rating of 18.9/32. If the trend continues, the London Games is expected to become the most-watched event in U.S. television history, surpassing the high of 215 million viewers that tuned in for the Beijing Olympics. The 195 million total viewers is nearly 18 million more than Athens through the same period (176.9 million).
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NBC‘s coverage of the first eight nights of the London Summer Olympics has set more viewership records. The network said each night including the Opening Ceremony last Friday has averaged 28.5 million viewers or more for the first time in the history of televised Summer Olympics (the first was Rome 1960). Additionally the overall eight-night average of 34.5 million viewers and 19.2 household rating through last night is the highest for the first eight nights of any non-U.S. Summer Olympics in 36 years, according to data provided by the Nielsen Co. and NBC.

Last night’s primetime coverage of competition Day 7 of the London Games on NBC (8:30-11:09 p.m. ET/PT) earned a 16.2/29 national rating/share and averaged 28.5 million viewers. Friday’s events that aired in primetime included Michael Phelps’ 21st career Olympic medal (gold in the 100-meter butterfly), Missy Franklin winning gold in the 200-meter backstroke, and Katie Ledecky winning gold in the 800-meter freestyle. The rating was 5% higher than the same night in Beijing (15.4/28) and 13% higher than in Athens (14.4/27)). Viewership was up 9% from the comparable night in Beijing (26.1 million) and up 20% from the comparable night in Athens (23.7 million), the last European Summer Olympics.
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