Primetime was not the only source of success for NBC during the 2012 London Olympics, as viewership increased by double-digits for daytime and late night coverage.
In particular, weekday afternoon coverage of the Olympics averaged 7.1 million viewers — up 31% from Beijing in 2008 (5.4M) and up 37% from Athens in 2004 (5.2M).
Weekday coverage generally aired from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET. By comparison, weekday coverage aired from 10 AM-1 PM in Beijing and from 12:30-4 PM in Athens.
On weekends, afternoon coverage from Noon to 5:00 PM ET averaged 12.1 million viewers — up 14% from 2008 (10.6M) and up 27% from 2004 (9.5M). An earlier 10 AM-Noon window averaged 10.5 million, up 31% from 2008 (8.0M) and up 75% from 2004 (6.0M).
Early morning weekend coverage from 9-10 AM averaged the smallest audience of any Olympic telecast window on NBC (not including the middle-of-the-night primetime re-air), with 5.7 million viewers. There were no comparable telecasts in 2008 or 2004.
Keep in mind that weekend coverage aired live in all time zones for the last two weekends of the Olympics. For the first weekend of the Games, coverage aired live in the East and Central time zones, and on a delay in the Mountain and Pacific.
Finally, late night action averaged 6.2 million viewers, up 13% from 2008 (5.5M) and up 17% from 2004 (5.3M).
Average Viewership For Olympic Telecast Windows on NBC
| Telecast Window | Time (ET) | Viewers | vs. ’08 | vs. ’04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday Afternoon | 10:00 AM-5:00 PM |
7.1M
|
+31%
|
+37%
|
| Weekend Early Morning | 9:00 AM-10:00 AM |
5.7M
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| Weekend Late Morning | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM |
10.5M
|
+31%
|
+75%
|
| Weekend Afternoon | 12:00 PM-5:00 PM |
12.1M
|
+14%
|
+27%
|
| Primetime | 8:00 PM-12:00 AM |
31.1M
|
+12%
|
+26%
|
| Late Night | 12:35 AM-1:35 AM |
6.2M
|
+13%
|
+17%
|
(Olympic numbers from NBC Universal Media Village)
