After a solid start, the 2014 Winter Olympics flopped across the finish line.
The Closing Ceremony of the Sochi Olympics had an 8.7 rating and 15.1 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 28% in ratings and 29% in viewership from Vancouver in 2010 (12.1, 21.4M), and down 2% and up 2%, respectively, from Turin in 2006 (8.9, 14.8M). The Closing Ceremony of the most recent Olympics, London in 2012, drew a 17.0 and 31.0 million viewers.
Sunday’s 8.7 rating is the lowest ever for an Olympics Closing Ceremony, falling below the previous mark of 8.9 set in 2006. Viewership, however, remained ahead of 2006 — marking the first time since last Wednesday that any night of the Sochi Olympics topped the comparable night of Turin in that metric.
The 8.7 is also the second-lowest rating for any primetime Olympics telecast in at least 20 years (night-by-night ratings prior to 1996 were not available). The final three nights of the Sochi Olympics rank as the lowest rated primetime Olympics telecasts in the past 20 years, and likely ever.
Overall, Sochi accounts for four of the five lowest rated primetime telecasts.
Unlike Friday and Saturday night, Sunday’s Closing Ceremony had stiff competition from another major sporting event. NASCAR’s Daytona 500, pushed into primetime due to rain, earned a historically low 5.5 rating and 9.1 million viewers opposite the Olympics (and a 5.6 and 9.3 million overall).
Earlier Sunday night, the 90-minute documentary “Nancy & Tonya” earned a 7.8 and 12.7 million viewers.
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
