For at least one night, the Rio Olympics nearly closed the gap with London four years ago.
Primetime coverage of the Rio Summer Olympics earned a 12.8 final rating and 21.7 million viewers on NBC Thursday night, down 6% in ratings and 5% in viewership from London in 2012 (13.6, 22.9M) and down 7% and 3%, respectively, from Beijing in 2008 (13.8, 22.4M). Versus the same night of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, ratings increased 5% from a 12.2 and viewership 7% from 20.3 million.
Thursday’s telecast, which featured Usain Bolt‘s win in the men’s 200m, trailed London by the slimmest margin of the Games. Each of the 13 other primetime windows has declined by at least 9%, with 12 of those down double-digits in one or both measures.
Even so, the 12.8 rating is the lowest for the second Thursday of a Summer Olympics since at least 1984. Four of the past five nights have hit at least a 32-year ratings low. Ratings also hit a low in adults 18-49, with NBC’s 6.1 rating down 13% from London (7.0), down 16% from Beijing (7.3), and the lowest for the second Thursday since at least 1992.
Figures do not include the live streaming audience on NBCOlympics.com or the 959,000 viewers who watched concurrent primetime coverage on NBCSN. With cable and streaming included, the NBC family of networks combined for a 13.6 rating and 22.9 million viewers — matching the comparable night in London. Thursday marked just the second time in 14 nights that the combined figures have matched or surpassed 2012.
NBC’s coverage was measured from 8:30-11:02 PM ET, excluding both the first half-hour and final hour of coverage. Coverage on NBCSN was measured from 7 PM ET through Midnight.
Through 14 nights, primetime coverage of the Rio Olympics has averaged a 14.9 rating and 26.4 million viewers on NBC — down 17% in ratings and viewership from London (18.0, 31.9M) and down 11% and 8%, respectively, from Beijing (16.8, 28.6M). The 14.9 rating is the lowest at this point of a Summer Olympics since Sydney in 2000 (14.5).
With cable and streaming included, the Rio Games have averaged 28.3 million viewers — trailing London by 11% and Beijing by just 1%.
(Thu. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box, with additional info from ShowBuzz Daily)
