Competition between the NFL and the Olympic Games hurt the overnight ratings for both Thursday night. Meanwhile, the same has taken place in St. Louis, where the Olympics and the Cardinals have both had ratings drop when airing head-to-head.
- Olympics Ratings Drop Opposite the NFL: Tape delayed primetime coverage of the 2012 London Olympics drew a 15.3 overnight rating on NBC Thursday night, down 7% from Beijing in 2008 (16.4). Barring an unusual increase from the overnight to the final rating, Thursday’s telecast will easily finish as the lowest rated of this year’s Olympics. Keep in mind Thursday was the first full day of the NFL preseason. (Thursday’s overnight from Sports Business Daily)
- MNF Ratings Drop Opposite the Olympics: Thursday’s Packers/Chargers ‘Monday Night Football’ game drew a 2.3 overnight rating on ESPN, down 30% from Seahawks/Chargers last year (3.3). The telecast faced competition from primetime coverage of the Olympics on NBC. Locally, the telecast drew a 25.6 rating in Green Bay (5.6 on ESPN, 20.0 on local ABC affiliate) and a 15.7 in San Diego (4.1 on ESPN, 11.6 on CBS affiliate). (ESPN)
- Cardinals, Olympics, Both Suffer in St. Louis: On a local level, the Olympics and the Cardinals have both suffered from head-to-head competition in St. Louis. On nights when the Olympics and Cardinals games have gone head-to-head, the former averaged a 19.7 rating (down 11% from a 22.0 for nights without competition), while the latter averaged a 7.7 (down 12% from an 8.7 for primetime games earlier in the season). Despite the competition, Olympic ratings in St. Louis have remained above the national average each night. (stltoday.com)
