Last night’s spectacular Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics drew equally spectacular ratings.
NBC drew an 18.6/33 final rating and 34.2 million viewers for its tape delayed coverage of the Opening Ceremonies last night, up 27% and 35% from a 14.6 with 25.4 million for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Opening Ceremony is the highest rated and most viewed ever for a Summer Olympics outside the United States. Additionally, the 18.6 rating is the highest for any non-U.S. Opening Ceremony since CBS drew a 20.9/34 for the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994.
The 18.6 rating surpasses every single prime time telecast from the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 and all but one telecast of the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004. Also, the rating is the best for any non-NFL sporting event since the 2006 Rose Bowl drew a 21.7 on ABC.
Highest ratings for individual Olympics telecasts.
since 2000, Summer Games only
19.3/32: Athens Olympics, 7th Day
18.6/33: Beijing Olympics, Opening Ceremony
18.3/30: Athens Olympics, 5th Day
17.3/29: Athens Olympics, 6th Day
16.6/27: Athens Olympics, 4th Day
