Heading into the final stretch for the Rio Games, NBC's primetime rating looks to finish somewhere in between the average for the '04 Athens Games and the '00 Sydney Games. NBC is averaging a 15.2 rating (27.2 million viewers) after 12 nights of coverage, below the 15.8 rating during the same period in '04, but above the 14.6 rating in '00. This year's rating is still well below four years ago in London (-18%). NBC on Tuesday night finished with a 14.3 rating (24.1 million viewers), down from a 17.6 rating four years ago and the lowest for the second Tuesday of the Summer Games since a 12.4 in '00. Tuesday's coverage featured live track and field, as well as U.S. gymnasts Simone Biles and Aly Raisman taking Gold and Silver, respectively, in the floor exercise. Using the Total Audience Delivery metric from NBC, the net's live broadcast+cable+digital coverage on Tuesday night delivered a 15.2 rating (25.6 million viewers). The addition of live numbers from cable and digital gave NBC a 6% bump on Tuesday. The average bump has been 7% during the Rio Games. Salt Lake City again topped NBC's coverage on Tuesday night, marking the 10th time in 12 nights that the Utah market has led the way (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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PRIMETIME SUMMER OLYMPIC RATINGS FOR 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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Night 7
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Thurs.
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17.8
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21.1
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17.9
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19.3
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14.9
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26.8
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Night 8
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Fri.
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13.7
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16.2
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15.2
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14.4
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14.9
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17.9
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Night 9
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Sat.
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14.2
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15.9
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17.6
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13.6
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13.3
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19.4
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Night 10
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Sun.
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14.9
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17.5
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16.0
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15.8
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16.0
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23.4
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Night 11
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Mon.
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14.1
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15.8
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15.8
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16.4
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15.8
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26.4
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Night 12
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Tues.
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14.3
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17.6
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16.3
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15.7
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12.4
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21.3
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12-Night Avg.
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15.2
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18.5
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17.1
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15.8
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14.6
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22.7
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DIFFERENT STORY IN CANADA: The GLOBE & MAIL's David Shoalts reports the CBC is "now in position to exceed the television ratings" for the London Games thanks to a "strong push for medals by Canadian athletes over the first 10 days" of the Games. London represents the "highest-rated Summer Olympics ever on Canadian television, with an average audience of 2.1 million viewers, and a total of 31.9 million Canadians who watched some of the coverage." With the Rio Games past the halfway mark, CBC is already close to that '12 record, as 30.4 million Canadians have "watched at least part of the events on the public network's platforms." CBC in a release said that in nine of the first 10 days of the Rio Games its "most-watched events each day attracted more than three million viewers." Shoalts notes that "puts it substantially ahead" of the average audience in '12 (
GLOBE & MAIL, 8/18).
AMERICAN AUTHORS: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes there are "few pretenses to NBC's pro-American" Olympic coverage in Rio. While that is "not found in unabashed, biased admiration," it has been "visible in who is interviewed after an event or whose families are glimpsed in stadiums and arenas." When Michael Phelps finished second to Singapore's Joseph Schooling in the 100-meter butterfly, the "post-race interview was with Phelps." Schooling's win, Singapore's first-ever Olympic gold medal, was "newsworthy for being a surprise, and he could have elaborated on the photo that NBC showed of him as a child, with Phelps." If Schooling was not as "available immediately after his win, NBC could have taped an interview with him to use in subsequent swimming coverage." Meanwhile, after Bahamian sprinter Shaunae Miller defeated the U.S.' Allyson Felix with a "dramatic dive across the finish line in the 400 meters on Monday night, the post-race interview was with Felix, not Miller." Each had a "story to tell but viewers only heard Felix's." Sandomir writes to have "learned more about Miller's dive would have been more illuminating than Felix, who was gracious and disappointed, but did not say much." NBC said that it has also interviewed Sweden swimmer Sarah Sjostrom and Denmark swimmer Pernille Blume "in prime time and others on different channels" (
NYTIMES.com, 8/17).
DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA: The AP's David Bauder writes it is "worth noting the time and care NBC took" yesterday during the U.S.-Argentina men's basketball quarterfinal game to acknowledge the core of the Argentinian team that has been together since winning Gold in '04 "will now split up." NBC's Marv Albert on the broadcast said, "This may be the last run for what has been a magnificent group." Albert and analyst Doug Collins "spent considerable time on that team's history during an otherwise uneventful fourth quarter, and cameras kept with an emotional" Argentina G Manu Ginobili and his teammates at the end (AP, 8/18).
FIELD OF SCREAMS: SPORTINGNEWS.com’s Mike DeCourcy writes the U.S. has "been great" in the "field" events during the track and field competitions, but NBC’s “aversion to broadcasting this part of the sport on television has robbed viewers of the opportunity to see the Americans’ best side.” Michelle Carter last Friday “pulled off a stunning, dramatic upset" of New Zealand’s Valerie Adams on her final shot put throw. But NBC treated this with a “short film clip that failed to adequately establish the drama or the consequence of Carter’s attempt or Adams’ last chance to respond.” Americans Christian Taylor and Will Claye went 1-2 in the triple jump, but they “were buried in a morning session.” Meanwhile, long jumper Jeff Henderson after winning Gold “got just a few moments on stage at night” (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 8/17).
