The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials concluded as it began, off double-digits from four years ago.
The final night of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, which aired in a shared two-hour window with track and field, earned a 2.4 final rating and 4.0 million viewers on NBC Sunday night — down 47% in ratings and 46% in viewership from coverage on a Monday night in 2012 (4.5, 7.4M) and down 40% and 39%, respectively, from 2008 (4.0, 6.5M). Those were standalone swimming telecasts.
The previous night, coverage on NBCSN drew a 0.6 and 940,000 — marking the lowest rated and least-watched night of the swimming competition since at least 2004. The last time the swimming trials aired on cable, USA Network topped a 1.0 rating and 1.6 million viewers for four nights of coverage.
The two telecasts were the lowest rated and least-watched of the swimming trials, no surprise given they took place over the Fourth of July holiday weekend — typically a wasteland for TV viewership. The 2012 trials avoided the July 4 holiday entirely.
All eight nights of the swimming trials declined from 2012, when the event averaged its largest primetime audience on record (dates back to 1988). Seven of the eight telecasts were down double-digits.
| RATINGS/VIEWERSHIP FOR U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS * Cable telecasts in italics * Telecasts split with track & field in bold italics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night | 2016 | 2012 | 2008 | |||
| Rtg. | Vwrs. | Rtg. | Vwrs. | Rtg. | Vwrs. | |
| #1 | 2.7 | 4.47M | 4.4 | 6.93M | 3.4 | 5.59M |
| #2 | 3.2 | 5.17M | 4.4 | 6.96M | 1.2 | 1.80M |
| #3 | 3.6 | 5.89M | 4.4 | 7.09M | 1.1 | 1.64M |
| #4 | 3.6 | 5.77M | 3.8 | 6.20M | 1.2 | 1.79M |
| #5 | 3.3 | 5.30M | 3.7 | 6.01M | 1.2 | 1.95M |
| #6 | 2.9 | 4.70M | 3.4 | 5.40M | 2.3 | 3.60M |
| #7 | 0.6 | 940K | 4.8 | 7.89M | 2.5 | 4.02M |
| #8 | 2.4 | 3.98M | 4.5 | 7.41M | 4.0 | 6.49M |
(Wknd. numbers via Programming Insider [1], [2]; additional info from NBC Sports)
