The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials opened with a steep decline in the metered markets.
Night one of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials earned a 3.0 overnight rating on NBC Sunday night, down 36% from the first night of coverage in 2012, which took place on a Monday (4.7), and down 29% from the first night in 2008, when coverage was split between swimming and track & field (4.2).
Later in the night, the women’s final of the USA Gymnastics National Championships scored a 3.7 overnight — up 118% from coverage on a Saturday night last year (1.7) and up 147% from 2014 (1.5). In 2012, coverage aired on a Sunday afternoon and earned a 1.6 overnight. It should be noted that the national championship is not the Olympic Trials, which will not take place for another two weeks.
In other action Sunday, coverage of the diving trials scored a 2.5 overnight in primetime (men’s platform final) and a 1.5 during the afternoon (women’s springboard final). In 2012, the diving finals aired in one afternoon block and earned a 1.9 overnight.
Shifting to Saturday, coverage of the men’s gymnastics trials (not the national championship, which took place earlier in the month) had a 2.4 overnight — the same as 2012, when coverage aired in the afternoon.
The four telecasts earned the four highest overnights of the weekend for sports on English-language television. Sunday’s Copa America final had a 2.2 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1, and likely earned even stronger numbers on Spanish-language Univision.
(Wknd. numbers from NBC, with additional info from ShowBuzz Daily)
