The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics attracted big numbers Friday night, but not quite as big as in previous years.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics earned a 17.0 final rating and 31.7 million viewers on NBC, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 2% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Vancouver in 2010 (17.3, 32.7M), but up 33% and 43%, respectively, from Turin in 2006 (12.8, 22.2M).
The most recent Opening Ceremony (London in 2012) earned a 21.0 and 40.7 million viewers, ranking as the most-viewed for any Olympics on record.
Friday’s Opening Ceremony ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed for any Olympics since Turin. Of the thirteen Olympics dating back to 1992, the Sochi Opening Ceremony ranks eighth in ratings and seventh in viewership.
Excluding ‘live’ Opening Ceremonies (i.e., those that aired live in the Eastern and Central time zones but were still tape delayed in the Mountain and Pacific), Friday’s telecast ranks as the fourth-most viewed dating back to 1992 and the second-most viewed for a Winter Olympics.
The past four Opening Ceremony telecasts have earned at least 30 million viewers. By comparison, four of the previous five failed to hit that mark — with the lone exception being Salt Lake City in 2002.
Overall, the Opening Ceremony ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed non-NFL sporting event since the 2012 Summer Olympics. No non-NFL, non-Olympic sports telecast has earned at least 30 million viewers in more than four years — since the 2010 Alabama/Texas BCS National Championship Game drew 30.8 million.
Ratings/Viewership For Olympics Opening Ceremony
Dating back to 1992
| Year | Date | Games | Site | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Fri., 2/7/14 | Winter | Sochi | NBC | 17.0 | 31.7M |
| 2012 | Fri., 7/27/12 | Summer | London | NBC | 21.7 | 40.7M |
| 2010 | Fri., 2/12/10 | Winter | Vancouver | NBC | 17.3 | 32.7M |
| 2008 | Fri., 8/8/08 | Summer | Beijing | NBC | 18.8 | 34.9M |
| 2006 | Fri., 2/10/06 | Winter | Turin | NBC | 12.8 | 22.2M |
| 2004 | Fri., 8/13/04 | Summer | Athens | NBC | 14.4 | 25.4M |
| 2002 | Fri., 2/8/02 | Winter | Salt Lake City | NBC | 25.5 | 45.6M |
| 2000 | Fri., 9/15/00 | Summer | Sydney | NBC | 16.2 | 27.3M |
| 1998 | Sat., 2/7/98 | Winter | Nagano | CBS | 17.1 | 27.2M |
| 1996 | Fri., 7/19/96 | Summer | Atlanta | NBC | 23.6 | 39.8M |
| 1994 | Sat., 2/12/94 | Winter | Lillehammer | CBS | 20.9 | 33.8M |
| 1992 | Sat., 7/25/92 | Summer | Barcelona | NBC | 13.8 | 21.6M |
| 1992 | Sat., 2/8/92 | Winter | Albertville | CBS | 14.5 | 24.0M |
(Friday’s numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
