or


[08/18/08 - 02:17 PM]
Olympics Mid-Games Report: NBC's Beijing Success Boosts Viewership Across All NBC Universal Platforms
NBC spins the numbers for Sunday, August 17.

[via press release from NBC]

OLYMPICS MID-GAMES REPORT: NBC's BEIJING SUCCESS BOOSTS VIEWERSHIP ACROSS ALL NBC UNIVERSAL PLATFORMS

Olympic Coverage Boosts NBCU Cable Viewership; NBC "Nightly News" & "Today" Increase Leads over Competition

NBCOlympics.com on MSN Serves 40.7 Million Video Streams, More Than 750 Million Page Views, More than 36 Million Uniques

BEIJING - Aug. 19, 2008 - More than 196 million viewers have watched the Beijing Olympics on the networks of NBC Universal through the first 10 days, already making it the fourth most watched television event in U.S. history, only behind the complete totals of the 1996 Atlanta (209 million), 1994 Lillehammer (204 million) and 2004 Athens (203 million) Games. The 196 million through 10 days is 11 million more than the first ten days for Athens (185 million) and three million more than the Atlanta Games (193 million), which was the most viewed television event in U.S. history. The ten-day total for these Games now surpasses the final overall viewership totals for the Barcelona Games (192 million) in 1992 and the Seoul Games (194 million) in 1988.

The Beijing Olympic 10-day average primetime viewership is 29.8 million, 14 percent ahead of Athens in 2004 (26.2 million). NBC's average of 17.2 rating/30 share is the best through the second Sunday for a Summer Olympics outside the U.S. since Barcelona in 1992 (18.6/35) and is a nine percent jump from Athens in 2004 (15.8/28).

NBC Universal's 3,600 hours of Beijing Olympic coverage is not only fueling record-breaking Olympic viewership, but also casting an Olympic "halo" across the many different divisions of NBC Universal. The unprecedented Olympic coverage has driven record numbers of viewers to NBCU's cable networks; it has also produced impressive gains in viewership and competitive advantage for "NBC Nightly News," NBC News' "Today," and NBC's affiliated stations. NBCOlympics.com has had a record number of page views, unique users and video streams, surpassing its total number from the entire Torino and Athens Games combined.

Sunday night garnered 75 million total viewers in primetime and 26.8 million average viewers, a three percent gain from the comparable night in Athens (26.0). The night earned a 15.8 rating/28 share, which is even with Athens' comparable night which featured three USA track & field gold medals.

Here is a rundown of how Beijing Olympics "halo effect" benefited the various divisions and dayparts of NBC Universal:

"TODAY" AND NIGHTLY NEWS DOMINATE THE COMPETITION: Preliminary affiliate time period data indicates that TODAY will have its highest delivery since the Torino Games in February, 2006 (2/13/06) as well as its best advantage over GMA since the week of the 2000 Presidential election (11/6/00). "Nightly News" is on track for its best advantage over the competition since the week of the Brokaw/Williams transition (11/29/04).

NBC CABLE: Through Sunday, Aug, 17, Olympics coverage on the cable networks of NBC Universal has reached 73.3 million average viewers, up 31 percent from August 2007 (56 million) and up 30 percent from the Athens Games.

USA NETWORK: Through Friday, Aug. 15, the Olympics on USA Network are averaging 960,000 viewers, up 39 percent from the same time periods in Aug. 2007, up 31 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games and up 20 percent from the 2004 Athens Games.

MSNBC: Through Friday, Aug. 15, the Olympics on MSNBC are averaging 650,000 viewers, up 145 percent from the same time periods in Aug. 2007, up 137 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games and up 22 percent from the 2004 Athens Games.

CNBC: Through Friday, Aug. 15, the Olympics on CNBC from 5-8pm are averaging 606,000 million viewers, up 143 percent from the same time periods in Aug. 2007, up 165 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games and identical to the 2004 Athens Games.

OXYGEN: Through Friday, Aug. 15, the Olympics on Oxygen are averaging 658,000 viewers, up 190 percent from the same time periods in Aug. 2007, up 141 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games. The week of August 11 saw Oxygen's highest ever delivery for the M-F 6-8pm Olympic time period.

TELEMUNDO: Through Sunday, Aug. 17, Olympic coverage to-date on Telemundo has reached 12 million unique viewers, up 12 percent from the Athens Games. The Olympics on Telemundo are averaging nearly a quarter-million million viewers, up 88 percent from the same time periods in Aug. 2007 and up 87 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games.

OLYMPICS POWERS NBC AFFILIATED STATIONS TO NO. 1:

For the Olympic period (August 8-17) every NBC affiliate in the metered markets ranks No.1 in their market on a total day (5a-5a) basis. Local News ratings for NBC's metered market affiliates have shown significant increases from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games.

5-6am up 69%

6-7am up 35%

5-6pm up 23%

6-6:30pm up 27%

Late news up 67% despite the start times significantly later than normal.

OLYMPIC ZONE VIEWERSHIP INCREASES: "Olympic Zone" is a partnership between NBC Olympics and NBC affiliated stations. The 30-minute show airs prior to NBC's primetime Olympic coverage and is showing significant ratings increases for many markets vs. the prior four-week ratings. The markets showing the biggest increases are:

1. San Francisco up 404%

2. Los Angeles up 395%

3. Miami up 336%

4. Atlanta up 288%

5. New York up 220%

"ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" UP 29% ON NBC AFFILIATED STATIONS: NBC Universal's syndicated 30-minute newsmagazine "Access Hollywood," with co-host Billy Bush anchoring from Beijing, airing preceding NBC's primetime coverage of the Torino Games, shows a ratings increase of 29 percent on NBC affiliated stations compared to four-week period prior to the Olympics.

NBCOLYMPICS.COM ON MSN DRAWS MORE VIDEO STREAMS AND PAGE VIEWS THAN ATHENS AND TORINO COMBINED: Through the first 10 days of the Beijing Games, NBCOlympics.com has already generated 754.3 million page views, nearly 200 million more than the combined totals for the entire 17 days of the Torino and Athens Games (561.1 million).

� The 40.7 million video streams on the site are nearly four times the combined Torino and Athens total of 10.8 million.

� 36 million unique visitors to the site since the start of the Games are 42 percent higher than the total monthly unique visitors for the entire Torino and Athens Games combined.

� NBC Olympics mobile WAP site has amassed 21.4 million page views.





  [august 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[01/07/26 - 12:32 PM]
Bowl Season on ESPN Networks Delivers Strongest Audience Since 2015-16
ABC delivered its largest non CFP bowl audience in 12 years, averaging 6.2 million viewers across six games.

[01/07/26 - 09:29 AM]
In 2025, Fans Power ESPN and "ESPN on ABC" to Its Most-Watched Year in Over a Decade
ESPN networks increased industry-leading sports share to 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2024.

[01/06/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX NFL Rings in Best Regular Season Since 2015
The regular season averaged 19.633 million viewers for the network.

[01/06/26 - 03:00 PM]
Record-Setting Season as "Sunday Night Football" on NBC and Peacock Averages 23.5 Million Viewers & Paces as Primetime's #1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
"Sunday Night Football" averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 23.5 million viewers for the 2025 season.

[01/06/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 29 - "Stranger Things 5" Concludes Right Side Up at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the English TV list with 12.7 million views is the new Harlan Coben mystery series "Run Away," centered on a father desperate for clues about his missing daughter while a string of related murders heightens the urgency to find her.

[01/05/26 - 02:34 PM]
2025-26 College Football Playoff Quarterfinals on ESPN Score 19.3 Million Average Viewers; CFP Up YOY Through Two Rounds
The Rose Bowl (Indiana vs. Alabama) topped all coverage with 23.9 million viewers on average.

[01/05/26 - 09:49 AM]
Prime Video Delivers "Thursday Night Football's" Most-Watched Season Ever
The 2025 season averaged 15.33 million viewers throughout its 15-game campaign, marking a +16% increase over the 2024 season and the third-consecutive year of double-digit, year-over-year viewership growth.

[01/02/26 - 03:45 PM]
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" Rises to Four Year High Reaching 30 Million Total Viewers at Midnight
The telecast averaged 18.8 million total viewers in the 11:30pm-12:30am hour alone.

[01/02/26 - 09:49 AM]
FOX NFL's Week 17 "America's Game of the Week" Comes Out on Top with 28.8 Million Viewers
The Eagles-Bills close finish marked FOX's second most-watched telecast of the regular season.

[12/31/25 - 12:46 PM]
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-Vikings Becoming the Most-Streamed NFL Game in US History
Said coverage averaged 27.5 million viewers in the US, with US viewership peaking at over 30 million viewers.

[12/31/25 - 10:11 AM]
NFL on Prime's Christmas Night Showdown Between the Broncos and Chiefs Sets New Viewership Marks for "TNF"
The streamer's "Thursday Night Football" finale averaged 21.06 million viewers, peaking with 22.90 million.

[12/31/25 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Delivered Largest Average NBA Christmas Audience Since 2018
The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game in the 2:30 p.m. window became ESPN's most-watched NBA Christmas game in the timeslot since 2017, averaging 6.7 million viewers.

[12/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 22 - "Stranger Things 5" Runs Up That Hill to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the list was "Emily in Paris" Season 5 with 13.3 million views.

[12/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
Aced It! ESPN Scored Most-Watched 2025 NCAA Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
The entirety of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament finished up 13% year over year, averaging 666,000 viewers across the 15 matches and featured the most-watched Regionals on record.

[12/24/25 - 10:01 AM]
Dec. 20 Holiday Episode Ranks as #1 "Saturday Night Live" Telecast of the Season
Hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, the episode drew 5.4 million viewers.