NBC is averaging a 14.5/27 national Nielsen rating
through the first two nights of its coverage of the Sydney
Games. The rating is down 30% from the 20.5/41 two-day
average of the '96 Games in Atlanta, but up 5% from the
13.8/29 two-day average from the '92 Games in Barcelona.
NBC earned a 16.1/29 fast national rating for Friday's
coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which was down 47% from
'96's opening broadcast, which earned a 23.6/45. However,
the rating was up 17% over '92's 13.8/29 and up 6% over the
15.2/29 in Seoul in '88. On Friday, NBC's coverage
outperformed all three networks combined by 68% among
persons aged 2+, and beat the three networks by 43% in
combined HHs. On Saturday, NBC's primetime coverage earned
a 13.1/25 national rating, down 30% from '96's first day of
Olympics competition coverage, which earned a 17.2/37 (NBC).
West Palm Beach, FL, was NBC's highest-rated market for
Saturday's coverage with a 19.5 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/18).
USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke notes NBC has guaranteed
advertisers a 17.5 average prime-time rating. But NBC
Sports Chair Dick Ebersol said, "Saturday night is the most
difficult night to deliver a rating" (USA TODAY, 9/18).
Last night's coverage earned a 17.4/27 preliminary overnight
rating (NBC). DAILY VARIETY's Rick Kissell writes NBC
"should have a better idea of where these Games will rank
after the numbers come in for the first few days of this
week, when the Olympics face formidable competition from the
likes" of ABC's "MNF" and "Millionaire." Meanwhile, CBS'
rebroadcast of "Survivor" doesn't "appear to be posing much
of a challenge" (DAILY VARIETY, 9/18). "Survivor" earned a
4.5 rating on Friday (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/17). FSN's
Keith Olbermann: "Those of us who thought tape delay in the
Internet age might hurt [ratings] a bit were conservative"
("The Keith Olbermann Evening News," FSN, 9/17).
CRITICS CORNER: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that
Saturday's coverage "was a struggle" for NBC, but
"fortunately for NBC, the USA bounced back Sunday." Martzke
questions if there is "enough intriguing programming to keep
viewers awake during a record five-hour prime-time show,"
which is a half-hour longer than in '96 (USA TODAY, 9/18).
Saatchi & Saatchi's Allen Banks said U.S. team performance
is key to NBC's ratings: "If we have a disastrous team over
there, the ratings could go right into the tank" (BOSTON
HERALD, 9/18). USA TODAY's Robert Bianco: "To be sure,
there have been times [NBC] threatened to go under. ... Yet
so far NBC has been able to overcome its setbacks." The
network "seems to be keeping the biographical sob stories to
a minimum," and anchor Bob Costas "has been solid and
unobtrusive" (USA TODAY, 9/18). In Boston, Howard Manly
wrote NBC's "staggering amount of facts, information and
stories" during the Opening Ceremonies was "almost to the
point of overload." But NBC "did a good job of informing
viewers when events were going to be televised" (BOSTON
GLOBE, 9/16). In DC, Leonard Shapiro writes Saturday's
coverage "was everything the network advertised -- heavy
doses of sports such as gymnastics and swimming that have
demonstrated big ratings turn-ons." Costas, "as always, is
silky smooth, affable, well-informed" (WASHINGTON POST,
9/18). In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich noted NBC's promo for
Saturday's coverage "featured three American athletes. Does
this mean 15 more days of jingoistic flag-waving?" (TORONTO
STAR, 9/17). In Miami, Barry Jackson wrote, "So far, NBC
has delivered on its promise to air more profiles of foreign
athletes." But Jackson added that viewers have "every right
to be annoyed by the stubborn refusal of NBC and its cable
partners to constantly display the score and time" (MIAMI
HERALD, 9/17). In Baltimore, Milton Kent calls NBC
"hypocritical" for refusing to show a score/clock display,
while "clogging up half the screen with its incessant promos
for its Olympic Web site." During Friday's Opening
Ceremonies, NBC's cameras "were sure to search out the U.S.
athletes that are bound to be featured during the next
couple of weeks. Wouldn't it have been nice, though, if we
could have seen the archers and canoeists and badminton
players for whom these Olympics mean the most?" (Baltimore
SUN, 9/18). In Seattle, Kay McFadden wrote on the "creeping
self-glorification of NBC. ... Every other commercial touts
an NBC cable channel, future Olympic story or new fall show"
(SEATTLE TIMES, 9/17). In Atlanta, Robbyn Footlick cites
comments on NBC's Olympic coverage in NBCOlympics.com's chat
room "ranged from disgust with the overabundance of
commercials ... to disgust at the network's jingoistic
coverage" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/18).
TAPE DELAY DEBATE CONTINUES: At 2:43 into Friday's
broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies, NBC's Bob Costas told
viewers, "Please be aware of this. Here in Sydney, we're 15
hours ahead of New York and 18 hours ahead of the west coast
in the states. And so to present these Olympics at a time
convenient to you -- that is while most of you are awake --
the event coverage you'll see broadcast will be on tape."
Costas repeated the tape-delayed notification before
Saturday's and Sunday's coverage (NBC, 9/15). In
Cincinnati, John Fay called the decision to show only taped
results "a flawed one. Why not break into the Opening
Ceremony broadcast and show a snippet of the triathlon?"
Fay: "To NBC's credit, they've been upfront from the
beginning about showing tape-delayed coverage" (CINCINNATI
ENQUIRER, 9/17). In Detroit, Tim Kiska: "If Friday night is
any indication, somebody ought to bring up NBC Sports on
fraud charges. ... Plenty happened during prime time
[Friday]: the women's triathlon. ... NBC isn't showing the
Olympics. It's showing one big informercial for NBC"
(DETROIT NEWS, 9/17). In Boston, Jim Baker notes that NBC's
"Today" show didn't even show a "snippet" of the Opening
Ceremony on Friday, "preserving every inch of it ... for use
Friday night." WBZ-CBS Sports Dir Gil Santos: "I can't
believe [NBC execs] are doing that to their own bloody news
coverage. ... Preventing the NBC News division from showing
any cuts is an insult to journalistic integrity!" But NBC
Sports Dir of Communications Cameron Blanchard responded,
"If we let 'Today' show a snippet, the clock would start
ticking and our exclusivity could be vastly reduced" (BOSTON
HERALD, 9/17). In Milwaukee, Tim Cuprisin writes the delay
gives the telecasts "the feel of an NFL film that comes out
well after a football season is over." Yesterday's coverage
of the men's triathlon seemed like "The History Channel"
(JOURNAL SENTINEL, 9/18). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Thomas
Weber: "The U.S. viewer deserves better, an option, at
least, to come to the Games live" (9/18). ESPN's Mike
Lupica: "Asking me to get worked up about an event whose
results I already know is a little bit like asking me to get
overheated about some game from 1983 on ESPN Classic. It's
not going to happen" ("The Sports Reporters," 9/17). In
L.A., Tom Hoffarth criticizes ESPN for scrolling Olympic
results before they aired on NBC: "Imagine that happening if
[ABC] was carrying the Games delayed" (DAILY NEWS, 9/17).
ONE-ON-ONE: While NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol said
that NBC's taped coverage would be better than CBC's live
coverage, CBC Exec Producer Joel Darling responded, "Better
coverage is live coverage" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/18).
SCANDAL REPORT: At 8:44 into Friday's broadcast, NBC
presented a 13:58 report on the Salt Lake City bid scandal,
and a SALT LAKE TRIBUNE editorial stated NBC "jumped feet
first" into the scandal with its report: "Airing this dirty
laundry was the right thing to do. Of course, it was to
NBC's advantage to try to defuse the bribery cloud" (SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/17). But in Richmond, Jerry Lindquist
writes, "[NBC] eventually rolled over and turned it into a
commercial praising the IOC for reform it never wanted in
the first place" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 9/18).
OPEN UP THE BIDDING: IOC VP Dick Pound said that the
IOC will "probably" open bidding on its next U.S. TV deal,
rather than hold "secret negotiations as it did with NBC" in
'95. Pound: "We probably owe it to the Olympic movement to
explore what the other networks may offer" (AP, 9/16).