For the first time, ratings for the Vancouver Olympics dipped below the comparable night in 2006.
Coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics drew a 12.5/20 rating and 20.9 million viewers on NBC Monday night, down 8% in ratings and 7% in viewership from the comparable night in ’06 (Turin; 13.6/21, 22.5 mil), and down 27% and 21%, respectively, from the comparable night in ’02 (Salt Lake City; 17.1/26, 26.5 mil).
This is the first time that a night of the Vancouver Olympics has drawn a lower rating and fewer viewers than the comparable night in Turin.
Versus the comparable night of the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Monday’s rating was down 16% from a 14.9/23.
Monday ranks as the second-lowest rated, second-least viewed night of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, ahead of only coverage last Tuesday (12.2/19, 20.3 mil). This is only the second primetime window to draw less than a 13.0 rating — by comparison, 8 of the first 11 primetime windows in Turin drew less than a 13.0.
Salt Lake City (21.8/36) was the top market for Monday’s coverage, and the only market to top a 20 rating. Denver was second with a 19.8/31, followed by Oklahoma City (19.5/28), Kansas City (19.3/27) and St. Louis (19.0/29).
Entering Tuesday night, primetime coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics is averaging a 14.3/24 rating and 25.5 million viewers on NBC, up 16% and 24%, respectively, from ’06 (12.3/19, 20.6 mil), but down 21% in ratings from ’02 (18.2/29).
Ratings/viewership for 2010 Winter Olympics
With comparisons to 2006 and 2002
Asterisk (*) indicates Opening Ceremony
| Night | Vancouver | Turin | Salt Lake City | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rtg | Viewers (000) | Rtg | Viewers (000) | Rtg | Viewers (000) | |
| 1* |
17.3/30
|
32,641
|
12.8/21
|
22,174
|
25.5/42
|
45,562
|
| 2 |
14.0/25
|
26,189
|
13.5/23
|
23,239
|
17.1/30
|
29,409
|
| 3 |
14.3/23
|
26,372
|
13.3/20
|
23,224
|
17.6/27
|
30,201
|
| 4 |
14.2/22
|
25,224
|
12.8/19
|
21,069
|
19.6/30
|
31,528
|
| 5 |
12.2/19
|
20,330
|
11.3/18
|
18,405
|
18.5/29
|
29,762
|
| 6 |
16.7/27
|
29,416
|
11.3/18
|
17,867
|
17.5/28
|
27,425
|
| 7 |
14.5/24
|
24,800
|
11.9/19
|
19,378
|
17.6/29
|
28,183
|
| 8 |
13.4/23
|
23,304
|
11.2/19
|
18,928
|
15.8/27
|
25,883
|
| 9 |
14.7/26
|
26,668
|
11.3/19
|
19,673
|
14.0/25
|
24,116
|
| 10 |
13.2/21
|
23,294
|
11.6/18
|
19,238
|
17.1/26
|
28,413
|
| 11 |
12.5/20
|
20,926
|
13.6/21
|
22,482
|
17.1/26
|
26,482
|
