Putting a bow on the 2014 Winter Olympics. NBCSN had strong gains for its coverage of the Winter Olympics, NBC had its second-best late night performance since 2002, and despite a near record-low, primetime coverage still dominated the other broadcast networks.
NBCSN Scores Big Increases For Daytime Coverage
- NBCSN averaged 1.6 million viewers for live coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, up 134% from London in 2012 (692K). Keep in mind the averages — both for Sochi and London — are only for the 6:00 AM-3:00 PM time period. NBCSN’s Sochi coverage typically ran from 3:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the network’s London coverage ran from 4:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The Sochi Olympics included NBCSN’s highest rated hockey game ever (CAN/USA: 2.7), its most-viewed hockey game (USA/RUS: 4.1M), and its most-viewed program of any kind (ski-jumping, 5.5M).
NBC Has Second-Best Late Night, For Any Olympics, Since 2002
- Late night coverage of the Olympics averaged 5.6 million viewers on NBC, up 17% from Vancouver in 2010 and up 12% from Turin in 2006. Including the Summer Olympics, the 5.6 million ranks as the second-highest viewer average for that window since Salt Lake City in 2002, trailing only London in 2012 (6.2M).
Despite Low Numbers, Sochi Olympics Dominant in Primetime
- Though the Sochi Olympics averaged the second-lowest primetime rating ever (12.3), NBC topped its competition on the other three major broadcast networks every single night of the games. By comparison, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was the top draw of the night on 14 of 17 occasions, and the Turin Olympics topped the charts just 8 of 17 times. NBC beat ABC, CBS and FOX combined by 32% in ratings, 45% in viewership, and 51% among adults 18-49 during the Olympics, which the network says is a record.
(Numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
