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 SUMMER GAMES:
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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.
For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com
For press information, bios, photos and releases, please go to: NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com
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