For the seventh straight Olympics, Salt Lake City was the highest rated local market.
Salt Lake City was the highest rated local market for primetime coverage of the 2012 London Olympics on NBC, averaging a 25.0 rating. This is the seventh straight Olympics — dating back to 2000 — that Salt Lake City has led all markets.
The 25.0 ranks as the third-highest average for the Olympics in Salt Lake City over the same span, trailing only Athens in 2004 (26.0) and, not surprisingly, Salt Lake City in 2002 (38.9).
Kansas City (22.5), Milwaukee (22.3), Denver (22.1), and Columbus, OH (21.9) rounded out the top five. Denver reached the top five for the fourth straight Olympics, and the fifth in the past six.
As far as the nation’s top television markets, New York tied for 26th place (18.2), Los Angeles ranked 23rd (18.8), Chicago also tied for 26th (18.2), Philadelphia ranked 37th (17.6), and Dallas-Ft. Worth ranked 38th (17.4).
Due to the disparity in market size, New York easily averaged the most homes for Olympic coverage (1.345M), followed by Los Angeles (1.047M), Chicago (636K), Philadelphia (527K), and the Bay Area (491K). While Salt Lake City was the highest rated market, it only ranked 24th in homes (232K).
Charlotte (13.9) and Raleigh-Durham (14.9) were the lowest rated of the 56 metered markets, with Tampa-St. Petersburg (15.8), Providence, RI (15.8), and Dayton, OH (15.8) rounding out the bottom five.
Other below-average markets included Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Memphis in the South, and Boston, Hartford and Providence in New England.
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (50K) averaged the fewest homes, followed by Dayton, OH (78K), Knoxville (96K), Tulsa (96K), and Ft. Myers (98K). Despite being the lowest rated market, Charlotte ranked a more respectable 36th in average homes (159K).
Top Five Local Markets For the Olympics
Dating back to 2000
| Year | Site | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | London | Salt Lake City (25.0) | Kansas City (22.5) | Milwaukee (22.3) | Denver (22.1) | Columbus (21.9) |
| 2010 | Vancouver | Salt Lake City (21.9) | Denver (21.3) | Milwaukee (21.0) | Seattle (19.6) | Minneapolis (19.1) |
| 2008 | Beijing | Salt Lake City and Denver (23.1) | Minneapolis (22.1) | Indianapolis and San Diego (21.3) | ||
| 2006 | Turin | Salt Lake City (21.6) | Denver (18.9) | Portland (18.8) | Minneapolis (18.2) | Seattle and San Diego (17.1) |
| 2004 | Athens | Salt Lake City (26.0) | Portland (21.8) | Indianapolis (21.6) | Bay Area (21.5) | Columbus (20.9) |
| 2002 | Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City (38.9) | Portland (27.1) | Seattle (25.8) | West Palm Beach (25.0) | Denver (24.0) |
| 2000 | Sydney | Salt Lake City (21.5) | Sacramento (20.0) | Portland (19.1) | Bay Area (18.7) | St. Louis (18.5) |
(Local averages from this year’s Olympics from NBC Universal Media Village)
