NBC's prime-time rating remains up from 2008, drawing 33M viewers

NBC is averaging an 18.5 final rating and 33.1 million viewers through the first 11 nights of the London Games, up 8 percent and 12 percent, respectively, from a 17.2 rating and 29.6 million viewers during the same period four years ago during the 2008 Beijing Games. Ten of the 11 nights have scored a better audience compared to the same nights in Beijing. The 18.5 rating marks the lowest average rating for the London Games since they began, down from the peak average of 19.5 for nights featuring competition (see chart).

Monday night’s telecast finished with a 15.8 rating and 26.6 million viewers for coverage featuring the men’s 400-meter final, women’s 400-meter hurdles final and women’s uneven bars final, tying the first Saturday of these Games for the lowest-rated night of coverage from London. However, the rating is flat compared to the same night in Beijing, after overnight figures originally had the night down. Viewership is up 1 percent from 26.4 million viewers.

NBC Sports Network enjoys biggest day ever

NBC Sports Network saw its most-viewed day ever on Monday with 956,000 viewers, fueled by the U.S. men’s basketball game against Argentina and the U.S. women’s soccer semifinal match against Canada.

For Olympic coverage from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network averaged 1.2 million viewers, while the back-to-back Team USA games from 2:45-7 p.m. averaged 3.1 million viewers.

The U.S.-Canada soccer match averaged 2.9 million viewers from 2:45-5:30 p.m. The match peaked with 3.8 million viewers in the 5-5:30 p.m. window as U.S. star Alex Morgan scored the game-winning goal with just seconds left in extra time. That peak figure marked the network’s most-viewed half-hour of the Olympics to date.

The U.S.-Argentina men’s basketball game averaged 3.3 million viewers from 5:30-7 p.m.