157 MILLION VIEWERS WATCH THE TORINO WINTER OLYMPICS ON THE NETWORKS OF NBC UNIVERSAL THROUGH FRIDAY, JUST 4% BEHIND SALT LAKE AT THIS SAME POINT IN THE OLYMPICS

NBC Wins Saturday Night in Primetime, Doubles Viewership of ABC & CBS Combined, Triples Fox

MSNBC Curling Coverage Delivers Highest Ratings Since Election Day 2004

TORINO, Italy -- February 19, 2006 -- Through the second Saturday of the Torino Winter Games, 157 million total, unduplicated viewers have watched the Olympics on the networks of NBC Universal, according to fast national data from Nielsen Media Research, only four percent behind this same point during the Salt Lake Games. NBC once again dominated the night in primetime, nearly doubling the household ratings and viewers of CBS and ABC combined and more than tripling Fox's primetime viewers. Over nine nights of the Torino Winter Olympics, NBC is averaging 20.8 million viewers in primetime, 91 percent higher than ABC (10.9M) and more than double Fox (9.3M) and CBS (9.5M), and will win its second consecutive week in primetime for the first time in 18 months.

NBC CONTINUES PRIMETIME DOMINANCE: NBC's Saturday night coverage of the Torino Winter Olympics attracted 43 million total, unduplicated viewers, as U.S. speedskater Shani Davis raced to the gold in the men's 1000m, becoming the first African-American male to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics. NBC's Saturday night coverage drew an 11.3 household rating and 19 share for the program and an 11.1 in primetime, averaging 19.3 million average viewers in primetime, beating ABC and CBS combined by 30 percent (7.7M and 7.1M) and tripling Fox in viewer delivery (6.5M). NBC is averaging a 12.2 household rating through Saturday night, and a 12.3 in primetime, rating 99 percent higher than CBS (6.2), 76 percent higher than ABC (7.0) and 116 percent higher than Fox (5.7) over the same period in household ratings, and also leading all nets in viewer delivery and A18-49.

TRIPLE NBC's NORMAL A18-49 RATINGS: NBC averaged a 6.1 in primetime in Adults 18-49 Saturday night, more than tripling its usual Saturday A18-49 rating this season (6.1 vs. 1.8, +239%).

NBCU CABLE: Through Week One of the Torino Games, the cable networks of NBC Universal have reached 48.2 million total viewers, up 31 percent from the underlying level of 36.9 million in the same time periods in Feb. 2005. MSNBC's Saturday coverage of the U.S. women's curling match vs. Italy delivered 1.258 million average viewers (0.81 HH rating) its highest rating and best viewer delivery in the 5-8 p.m. time slot since Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004 (1.272 million viewers), and the best Saturday for that time period since coverage of the start of the Iraq war, April 5, 2003 (1.801 million viewers).

THE OLYMPICS IN PRIMETIME ON NBC

Saturday Torino to Date through Sat., Feb. 18
HH Rating 11.3/19 12.2/20
A18-49 6.3 6.3
Average Viewers 19.7 20.6
Total Unduplicated 43 million 157 million

The networks of NBC Universal, NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC HD and Universal HD is providing more than 418 total hours of coverage - including the most live coverage - across the most platforms of any Winter Olympics in history of the XX Olympic Winter Games from Torino, Italy, Feb. 10-26.