NBC's primetime TV coverage from Rio is averaging a 15.5 rating (28.2 million viewers), marking the lowest figure for the broadcast net through six nights of the Summer Games since Sydney in '00. NBC continues to dominate its TV competitors in the U.S., but the figure remains down 20% from the '12 London Games through the first Wednesday. When including Total Audience Delivery (live figures for broadcast+cable+digital), NBC's primetime average moves up to a 16.5 rating (28.6 million viewers), putting it above the '04 Athens Games, but still below London and Beijing in '08. Wednesday night's coverage on NBC, which featured U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky capturing Gold as part of the women's 200-meter freestyle relay team, averaged a 15.1 rating (26.4 million viewers) from 8:00-11:12pm ET. That figure is down from a 17.9 rating on the comparable night in London, and down from a 16.7 in '08 and a 17.3 in '04. Salt Lake City continues to lead all local markets for NBC primetime coverage, with Denver still at No. 2. Meanwhile, NBCSN on Wednesday benefited from the tighter-than-expected U.S.-Australia men's basketball game. Australia led after the first half, and the second half -- which aired in primetime -- helped the cable network to its best figure for the Rio Games to date. The window for NBCSN from 7:00pm-12:00am, which included a Brazil-Denmark men's soccer match, averaged 1.87 million viewers. The U.S.-Australia game itself drew 3.4 million viewers (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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PRIMETIME SUMMER OLYMPIC RATINGS ON NBC
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DAY
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RIO
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LONDON
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BEIJING
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ATHENS
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SYDNEY
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ATLANTA
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Opening Ceremony
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Fri.
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13.9
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21.0
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18.8
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14.6
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16.2
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23.6
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Night 2
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Sat.
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11.4
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15.8
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13.9
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11.8
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13.1
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17.2
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Night 3
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Sun.
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16.1
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19.8
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18.1
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15.4
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14.6
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22.9
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Night 4
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Mon.
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16.4
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18.0
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17.6
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16.6
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13.8
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22.9
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Night 5
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Tues.
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18.9
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21.8
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20.0
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18.3
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15.5
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27.2
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Night 6
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Wed.
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15.1
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17.9
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16.7
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17.3
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14.6
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22.4
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6-Night Avg.
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15.5
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19.3
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17.6
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15.7
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14.6
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22.8
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WHAT DECLINE? NBC Sports Chair Mark Lazarus on Thursday said the audience figures so far for the Olympics are "meeting expectations." Lazarus: "The mix is just a little different. ... We are so confident in our delivery, we've booked another $30 million in advertising since the start of the Games." He added, "Our advertisers are happy. We have structured and managed our inventory throughout the games so they will get exactly what we promised them." Lazarus said of any possible make-goods for advertisers based on lower broadcast TV ratings, "If there is a small shortfall, we put it into the Olympic Games. We will leave the Olympic Games with everyone getting what we promised them. ... In the case of broadcast, it's down a little bit. But cable and streaming are up, and it mitigates that difference. That's what we're selling." Lazarus said of the strength of the Olympics on NBC, "Everyone is talking about broadcast being down. We're averaging over a 15 rating. Nothing on television is doing that. And that's not an hour of scripted -- that's three to four hours a night for 17 days" (
HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/11). Lazarus also "reiterated the network's earlier projections that this would prove to be the 'most economically successful Games in history." Media buyers said that NBC "assured them it would deliver household ratings that matched or topped the 17.5 rating it averaged" during the London Games (
ADAGE.com, 8/11).
TALE OF THE TAPE: In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald notes Lazarus "strongly defended NBC's decision" to air part of the Games on tape delay in primetime. He said he stands by the net's decision to "'create our storytelling and our narrative' and 'a show around the competitions' by using the prepackaged form." Lazarus: "Things like gymnastics are very difficult and sluggish to show live. We make it available live through our streaming products, but we (prefer) having it put on in a way that makes more sense to a broad viewer -- not to the gymnastics aficionados that really know the sport. ... Those aren't people who are watching gymnastics every week, or are fully knowledgeable in the sport. Part of our job is to further inform them and make the sport bigger" (PHILLY.com, 8/12). Lazarus also indicated that the net, "perhaps contrary to current perception, was sensitive about offending the different segments of its audience." He said, “In most of those cases, they’ve been addressed very quickly by the talent themselves." Referring to gymnastics announcer Al Trautwig, Lazarus said, "In one case in particular we did discuss with the talent that we thought his comments, which were placed on Twitter and not on air, were insensitive. He addressed that. We of course want to make sure that we are inclusive and open to all groups" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/12).
SAME AS IT EVER WAS: In California, Larry Bohannan writes Golf Channel's broadcast of the first round of the men's Olympic golf tournament on Thursday was "professional and clean and had all the bells and whistles that we see on PGA Tour events each week." However, it "kind of felt like a broadcast of any other event you would see on Golf Channel." It "didn’t have a 'Hey, we’re in Rio, this is the Olympics!' feel to it." A little more branding about Rio and the Olympics "would have been nice and would have set this event apart from other PGA Tour broadcasts" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 8/12).
MEASURING STICK: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes it "seems clear that NBC again has engaged in misdirection on behalf of its ratings-reliant Olympics favorites, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team." None of NBC’s reporters or analysts "explained what so many could not ignore" -- why women gymnasts "get smaller and smaller every Olympics." Mushnick wondered why NBC has not asked either Bela or Marta Karolyi "to explain this trend toward tiny gymnasts" (N.Y. POST, 8/12).
