Four years ago — or even four weeks ago — few could have imagined that the Rio Olympics would sink to the lowest level since Sydney.
Primetime coverage of the Rio Summer Olympics averaged a 14.4 rating and 25.4 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 18% in ratings and viewership from London in 2012 (17.5, 31.1M) and down 11% and 8%, respectively, from Beijing in 2008 (16.2, 27.7M). Versus the most recent Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, ratings increased 17% (from 12.3) and viewership 19% (from 21.4M).
The Rio Games ranks as the lowest rated Summer Olympics in primetime since Sydney in 2000 (13.8) and the least-watched since Athens in 2004 (24.6M). After ratings and viewership grew for three straight Summer Olympics, it was the first since Sydney to decline from the previous edition.
All 17 primetime windows on NBC posted a decline in ratings and viewership from 2012 (see chart), though it should be noted that London set a high bar as the highest rated and most-watched non-U.S. Olympics since 1994. Compared to Beijing in 2008, ratings dropped for 16 of 17 nights and viewership 14.
This year included the two lowest rated primetime Summer Olympics windows ever on broadcast television, the final night of competition (9.0) and Closing Ceremony (9.8). Prior to this year, no night of any Summer Olympics had earned a single-digit rating.
The numbers would likely have been even lower had NBC not cut the rated portion of its telecasts to just 184 minutes per night, the lowest since at least 1996, per ShowBuzz Daily. That figure equates to just over three hours of rated programming on nights when NBC typically aired four (or five) hours of coverage. According to ShowBuzz, NBC averaged 194 minutes of rated coverage in 2012 and 251 back in 2000.
Rio was the first Olympics in which primetime coverage was available on cable and the internet. Including the live streaming audience on NBCOlympics.com and viewership on cable networks NBCSN, USA Network and Bravo, primetime coverage averaged 27.5 million viewers over 15 nights — not including the opening or closing ceremonies, which aired only on NBC and were not available live online. That still trailed the comparable 15 nights of London, but edged Beijing.
On paper, the Rio Olympics looked to be as big a draw as any. The host city was just one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time, allowing for live coverage of most events in NBC’s primetime window (at least on the Eastern half of the country). The network’s designated stars — Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky — dominated the Games, each winning multiple gold medals. After strong performances in Beijing and London, the Olympics itself looked like it had recovered whatever stature it had lost in the early-to-mid 2000s, making a return to Sydney levels unlikely.
At the same time, there were warning signs entering the Games. A July Gallup poll found that 48% of respondents intended to watch the Olympics, an 11-point drop from 2012 and the smallest percentage since the company began asking the question in 2000. Ratings for the Olympic Trials sank from 2012, including across-the-board declines for NBC’s primetime swimming and gymnastics telecasts.
Despite the lower numbers, the Olympics was far from a poor television draw. The first Tuesday and Thursday of competition, which featured Phelps in the pool and Biles in gymnastics, earned 33.4 and 31.2 million viewers on NBC alone — the second and third-largest TV audiences of the year, outside of the NFL. Only the Academy Awards attracted more viewers (34.4M).
| 2016 OLYMPICS RATINGS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night | Rio 2016 | vs. London 2012 | vs. Beijing 2008 | vs. Athens 2004 | vs. Sydney 2000 | ||||||||||
| Rtg. | Vwrs. | 18-49 | Rtg. | Vwrs. | 18-49 | Rtg. | Vwrs. | 18-49 | Rtg. | Vwrs. | 18-49 | Rtg. | Vwrs. | 18-49 | |
| OC | 13.9 | 26.49M | 7.5 | -34% | -35% | -39% | -26% | -24% | -27% | -5% | +4% | -6% | -14% | -3% | -21% |
| 1st Sat | 11.4 | 20.63M | 5.9 | -28% | -28% | -33% | -18% | -14% | -26% | -3% | +4% | -14% | -13% | -2% | -22% |
| 1st Sun | 16.1 | 29.78M | 9.1 | -19% | -17% | -22% | -11% | -8% | -19% | +5% | +15% | -7% | +10% | +25% | -6% |
| 1st Mon | 16.4 | 28.86M | 8.6 | -9% | -9% | -19% | -7% | -4% | -19% | -1% | +6% | -13% | +19% | +37% | +5% |
| 1st Tue | 18.9 | 33.44M | 10.0 | -13% | -14% | -22% | -5% | -2% | -19% | +3% | +11% | -10% | +22% | +39% | +3% |
| 1st Wed | 15.1 | 26.45M | 7.7 | -16% | -14% | -22% | -10% | -4% | -18% | -13% | -7% | -26% | +3% | +19% | -13% |
| 1st Thu | 17.8 | 31.22M | 9.1 | -16% | -15% | -24% | -1% | +5% | -13% | -8% | -2% | -22% | +19% | +36% | -2% |
| 1st Fri | 13.7 | 24.02M | 6.4 | -15% | -16% | -26% | -11% | -8% | -25% | -5% | +1% | -19% | -9% | +4% | -26% |
| 2nd Sat | 14.2 | 25.52M | 6.8 | -11% | -9% | -21% | -20% | -19% | -36% | +4% | +13% | -16% | +5% | +19% | -19% |
| 2nd Sun | 14.9 | 26.75M | 7.9 | -15% | -14% | -23% | -7% | -2% | -14% | -6% | +3% | -17% | -7% | +4% | -24% |
| 2nd Mon | 14.1 | 24.27M | 7.0 | -11% | -9% | -16% | -11% | -8% | -21% | -14% | -6% | -27% | -11% | -1% | -27% |
| 2nd Tue | 14.3 | 24.14M | 6.9 | -19% | -20% | -28% | -12% | -9% | -24% | -9% | -3% | -21% | +15% | +30% | -5% |
| 2nd Wed | 12.3 | 20.68M | 5.8 | -27% | -29% | -38% | -19% | -16% | -31% | -20% | -15% | -33% | -12% | +1% | -24% |
| 2nd Thu | 12.8 | 21.70M | 6.1 | -6% | -5% | -13% | -7% | -3% | -16% | -7% | +1% | -19% | -9% | +4% | -25% |
| 2nd Fri | 11.6 | 20.05M | 5.5 | -12% | -11% | -17% | +8% | +12% | flat | -7% | flat | -20% | +9% | +29% | +2% |
| 3rd Sat | 9.0 | 15.41M | 3.8 | -29% | -29% | -39% | -13% | -8% | -25% | -19% | -15% | -33% | -14% | -5% | -36% |
| CC | 9.8 | 17.03M | 4.1 | -43% | -45% | -55% | -37% | -39% | -50% | -18% | -13% | -27% | -11% | +2% | -25% |
(NBC averages from NBC Sports Group Press Box, ShowBuzz Daily)
