For the eighth time in twelve nights, viewership for the 2012 London Olympics topped 30 million on NBC.
Tape delayed primetime coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics drew a 17.6 final rating and 30.1 million viewers on NBC Tuesday night, up 8% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Beijing in 2008 (16.3, 26.629M), and up 12% and 20%, respectively, from Athens in 2004 (15.7, 24.972M).
The comparable night of the most recent Olympics — the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver — earned a 12.6 and 21.279 million viewers.
The 17.6 rating is the highest for the second Tuesday of any Olympics since Salt Lake City in 2002 (22.3), and the highest for a non-U.S. Olympics since Lillehammer in 1994 (24.9).
As mentioned before, Tuesday’s telecast ranks as the eighth of the Olympics to top thirty million viewers. Only seven times during the previous two Summer Olympics combined did the primetime window top thirty million.
The Olympics and the NFL now account for the 24 most-viewed sporting events of 2012.
Through Tuesday, primetime coverage of the 2012 London Olympics has averaged an 18.5 rating and 32.8 million viewers on NBC — up 8% in ratings and 12% in viewership from 2008 (17.1, 29.4M), and up 17% and 26%, respectively, from 2004 (15.8, 26.1M).
This marks the highest rated Olympics through the second Tuesday since Atlanta in 1996 (22.7), even topping Salt Lake City in 2002 (18.3). Excluding U.S.-based Olympics, this marks the highest average since Lillehammer in 1994 (25.8).
(Thursday’s numbers and 12-night average from NBC Universal Media Village)
