No matter the star and no matter the sport, NBC’s Olympic ratings simply cannot compare to four years ago.
Primetime coverage of the Rio Summer Olympics earned a 14.3 final rating and 24.1 million viewers on NBC Tuesday night, down 19% in ratings and 20% in viewership from London in 2012 (17.6, 30.1M) and down 12% and 9%, respectively, from Beijing in 2008 (16.3, 26.6M). Versus the same night of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, ratings and viewership both increased 28% from an 11.2 and 18.9 million.
The 14.3 rating is the lowest for the second Tuesday of a Summer Olympics since Sydney in 2000 (12.4), marking the third straight night that ratings have hit at least a 16-year low.
In adults 18-49, Tuesday’s window had a 6.9 rating — down 28% from 2012 (9.6), down 24% from 2008 (9.1), and the lowest for the second Tuesday since at least 1992.
Figures do not include the live streaming audience on NBCOlympics.com or the 1.2 million viewers who watched concurrent primetime coverage on NBCSN. With those numbers included, the NBC family of networks combined for a 15.2 rating and 25.6 million viewers Tuesday night — still behind London and Beijing.
NBC’s telecast was measured from 8-11:04 PM ET, which included taped coverage of Simone Biles‘ fourth gold medal of the Games and live track and field. The final hour of coverage, which featured the beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh-Jennings and April Ross going down to defeat, was excluded from the ratings.
NBC has gotten everything it could have asked for out of its designated stars for these Olympics, with Biles, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Usain Bolt combining for 14 gold medals. That success has obviously not translated in the ratings, which have dropped for all 12 of NBC’s primetime windows — and 11 of the 12 with cable and streaming included.
(Tue. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box, ShowBuzz Daily)
