In as big an upset as Michael Phelps finishing with a silver medal, NBC actually saw its ratings decline for Wednesday night’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
NBC drew a 16.7/28 final rating and 27.7 million viewers for coverage of men’s gymnastics and swimming, down 2% and 3% from a 17.3/29 and 28.4 million for the comparable night of the 2004 Athens Olympics. The 16.7/28 does mark a 14% increase from a 14.6/25 for the first Wednesday of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Through six nights, the 2008 Beijing Olympics is averaging a 17.6/30 rating on NBC, up 12% from a 15.7/27 through six nights of the 2004 Athens Games, and up 21% from a 14.6/25 through six nights of the 2000 Sydney Games.
