via press release:
NBC’S THREE-DAY AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP OF 35.8 MILLION IS BEST THROUGH THE FIRST WEEKEND OF ANY SUMMER OLYMPICS IN HISTORY
36.0 Million Average Viewers Last Night is Most for First Sunday for any Non-U.S. Summer Olympics in History (Since 1960)
The Average Viewership for Opening Ceremony (40.7 million) and Last Night (36.0 million) is Higher than ANY Night from the Beijing, Athens or Sydney Games
19.8/33 National rating for First Sunday Night is 9% Higher than Beijing and 29% Higher than Athens; Best for Any Non-U.S. Summer Olympics in History
16.0 Million Watch NBC’s Afternoon Daytime Show; Nearly 7 Million Tune in to Late Night; 6 Million Watch Early Morning Show
LONDON – July 30, 2012 – Through the first three nights of the London Olympics, NBC is averaging 35.8 million viewers, the best through the first weekend for any Summer Olympics in history (since the 1960 Rome Olympics, the first televised Olympics), 1.4 million more than the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (34.4 million), and five million more viewers than 2008 Beijing Olympics (30.6 million).
Last night’s primetime coverage on NBC (7-11:14 p.m. ET/PT) drew 36.0 million viewers, the most for the first Sunday of a non-U.S. Summer Games in history. Last night’s viewership is more than three million more than the first Sunday night of the 2008 Beijing Olympics (32.3 million), and 10 million more than the first night of the 2004 Athens Olympics (25.8 million), the last European Summer Olympics.
The average viewership for Opening Ceremony (40.7 million) and last night (36.0 million) is higher than ANY night from the Beijing, Athens or Sydney games.
Last night’s competition on NBC, which featured a silver medal for the U.S. in the 4x100m freestyle relay, a gold medal by Dana Vollmer in the women’s 100m butterfly and the preliminaries of the women’s gymnastics all-around, earned a 19.8/33 national rating/share, the best for the first Sunday for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics in history. The rating is nine percent higher than the first Sunday night of the Beijing Olympics (18.1/31), which featured live coverage of Phelps’ second of his eight gold medals.
Last night’s national rating of 19.8/33 is also 29 percent higher than the first Sunday night in Athens in 2004 (15.4/26), the last European Summer Olympics.
The three-night average household rating of 19.2/33, is 12 percent higher than Beijing (17.1/31) and 36 percent higher than Athens (14.1/26).
FIRST WEEKEND AVERAGE VIEWERS FOR NON-U.S. SUMMER GAMES:
1. London – 2012
35.8 Million NBC
2. Atlanta – 1996
34.4 Million NBC
3. Beijing – 2008
30.6 Million NBC
4. Barcelona – 1992
27.0 Million NBC
5. Seoul – 1988
24.4 Million NBC
6. Athens – 2004
24.0 Million NBC
7. Sydney – 2000
23.9 Million NBC
NBC’S DAYTIME AND LATE NIGHT VIEWERSHIP SOARS:
9:51 a.m.-Noon ET/PT averaged 12.7 million viewers, an increase of 8% over the first Sunday morning at the Beijing Games (11.7 million from 10 a.m.-Noon). The household rating in this time period (8.2/22) is 6% higher than the comparable morning from Beijing (7.7/21).
The Noon-6 p.m. ET/PT window drew 16.0 million viewers and a household rating of 9.9/22, an increase of 13% and 11%, respectively vs. Beijing Games.
The early-morning window (7-9:51 a.m. ET/PT) drew 6.0 million viewers and had a household rating of 4.3/16. There is no comparable coverage for this time period in previous Games.
The late night program (12:35-1:22 a.m. ET/PT) drew 6.9 million viewers and a household rating of 4.6/15, an increase of 41% and 31%, respectively vs. Beijing Games.
THREE-DAY METERED MARKET AVERAGE:
1. Salt Lake City
25.8/47
2. San Diego
25.4/45
T3. Kansas City
24.3/42
T3. Milwaukee
24.3/42
5. Denver
24.0/46
6. Columbus
23.9/41
7. Norfolk
23.2/37
8. Richmond
23.1/38
9. Indianapolis
23.0/41
10. Ft. Myers
22.8/41
11. West Palm Beach
22.6/38
12. Washington
22.5/41
T13. Oklahoma City
22.4/36
T13. Sacramento
22.4/42
15. Nashville
22.1/36
16. Austin
21.9/40
17. Boston
21.7/39
18. St. Louis
21.6/37
T19. Portland
21.3/44
T19. Seattle
21.3/42
HIGHEST RATED BY TIME ZONE (THROUGH THREE DAYS):
Mountain
22.0/39
Pacific
21.2/40
Central
20.3/35
Eastern
19.8/34
NBCUniversal, presenting its 13th Olympics, the most by any U.S. media company, will make an unprecedented 5,535 hours of the 2012 London Olympics coverage available across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours.
I remember watching the Olympics when I was a kid, but now to watch in on a big HDTV is amazing. I just wish that I could watch some events in 3D because a 3D view on Misty May playing would be perfection. Sports are just going to dominate everything going forward because the experience is getting better and you WANT to watch it with everyone else (even if everyone else is watching a delay, lol).
This is huge for NBC and the Olympics the popularity has soared this year.
David I agree watching the Olympics in HD and 3D is a sick experience. It makes the viewing experience look really good. Watching swimming in HD is amazing!
yes! that’s exactly what it is! the city, the colors, even the sound, it’s an all new experience now. gorgeous! almost like being there…
they just have to get this time-shifting thing together. it’s really hard trying to block out all media just so you don’t know the winners until you watch it. a real drag…
Olympics sign look like someone getting a b.j or is it just me?