San Diego Tops U.S. Markets In Opening Ceremony Ratings
San Diego topped all U.S. metered markets (MMs) for the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony on NBC last Friday night, earning a 26.5 Nielsen rating in the DMA, up 21.6% from Athens in '04 and 34.5% from Sydney in '00. Despite the ceremony being a primetime event on the East Coast, three of the top five MMs were out west. Among the top 10 markets, Salt Lake City was the only one to see a decline from Athens (-8.2%). Knoxville saw the biggest jump among all MMs, up 73.0% from Athens, while Detroit saw the only double-digit decline, off 27.6% from '04 (THE DAILY).
|
OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY METERED MARKET RATINGS
|
|
RK
|
MARKET (SIZE)
|
'08 BEIJING
|
'04 ATHENS
|
4-YR % +/-
|
'00 SYDNEY
|
8-YR % +/-
|
|
1
|
San Diego (27)
|
26.5
|
21.8
|
21.6%
|
19.7
|
34.5%
|
|
2
|
West Palm Beach (38)
|
25.7
|
24.5
|
4.9%
|
23.2
|
10.8%
|
|
3
|
Sacramento (20)
|
24.3
|
22.1
|
10.0%
|
22.3
|
9.0%
|
|
4
|
Denver (18)
|
24.2
|
19.4
|
24.7%
|
19.9
|
21.6%
|
|
5t
|
Baltimore (24)
|
24.1
|
17.5
|
37.7%
|
19.6
|
23.0%
|
|
5t
|
San Francisco-Oakland-
San Jose (6)
|
24.1
|
24.1
|
0.0%
|
21.7
|
11.1%
|
|
7
|
Indianapolis (26)
|
23.9
|
20.6
|
16.0%
|
19.2
|
24.5%
|
|
8
|
Salt Lake City (35) |
23.5
|
25.6
|
-8.2%
|
19.1
|
23.0%
|
|
9
|
Nashville (30) |
23.4
|
17.4
|
34.5%
|
17.5
|
33.7%
|
|
10
|
St. Louis (21) |
22.9
|
17.6
|
30.1%
|
19.8
|
15.7%
|
|
11
|
Ft. Myers-Naples (63)
|
22.8
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
12
|
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (16) |
22.4
|
15.1
|
48.3%
|
15.5
|
44.5%
|
|
13
|
Richmond (59) |
22.0
|
15.6
|
41.0%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
14
|
Jacksonville (49) |
21.7
|
16.7
|
29.9%
|
14
|
55.0%
|
|
15
|
Providence-New Bedford (52) |
21.6
|
15.8
|
36.7%
|
17.6
|
22.7%
|
|
16
|
Los Angeles (2) |
21.5
|
19.7
|
9.1%
|
19.9
|
8.0%
|
|
17
|
Oklahoma City (45) |
21.4
|
19.7
|
8.6%
|
15.2
|
40.8%
|
|
18
|
Orlando (19) |
21.2
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
18.5
|
14.6%
|
|
19
|
Cleveland-Akron (17) |
21.0
|
19.5
|
7.7%
|
18.4
|
14.1%
|
|
20t
|
Phoenix (12) |
20.7
|
21.2
|
-2.4%
|
16.5
|
25.5%
|
|
20t
|
Portland, OR (23) |
20.7
|
20.3
|
2.0%
|
21.4
|
-3.3%
|
|
22
|
Washington, DC (9) |
20.6
|
17.3
|
19.1%
|
18.2
|
13.2%
|
|
23t
|
Louisville (48)
|
20.2
|
14.2
|
42.3%
|
13.2
|
53.0%
|
|
23t
|
Minneapolis-St. Paul (15) |
20.2
|
19.6
|
3.1%
|
16.5
|
22.4%
|
|
23t
|
Tampa-St. Petersburg (13) |
20.2
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
17.4
|
16.1%
|
|
26
|
Buffalo (50) |
20.1
|
13.7
|
46.7%
|
14
|
43.6%
|
|
27
|
Boston (7) |
19.7
|
15.1
|
30.5%
|
18.4
|
7.1%
|
|
28
|
Albuquerque-Santa Fe (44) |
19.4
|
13.9
|
39.6%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
29t
|
Columbus, OH (32) |
19.3
|
17.9
|
7.8%
|
18.4
|
4.9%
|
|
29t
|
Norfolk (42) |
19.3
|
17.3
|
11.6%
|
17.1
|
12.9%
|
|
31t
|
Austin (51) |
19.2
|
16.4
|
17.1%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
31t
|
Knoxville (58) |
19.2
|
11.1
|
73.0%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
31t
|
Las Vegas (43) |
19.2
|
20.8
|
-7.7%
|
15.5
|
23.9%
|
|
31t
|
New York (1) |
19.2
|
18.6
|
3.2%
|
18.7
|
2.7%
|
|
35t
|
Atlanta (8) |
19.0
|
13.4
|
41.8%
|
16.4
|
15.9%
|
|
35t
|
Kansas City (31) |
19.0
|
15.8
|
20.3%
|
14.3
|
32.9%
|
|
35t
|
Seattle-Tacoma (14) |
19.0
|
19.4
|
-2.1%
|
18.7
|
1.6%
|
|
38
|
New Orleans (53) |
18.7
|
14
|
33.6%
|
14.4
|
29.9%
|
|
39
|
Chicago (3) |
18.4
|
19.1
|
-3.7%
|
16.7
|
10.2%
|
|
40t
|
Dallas-Ft. Worth (5) |
18.2
|
16.4
|
11.0%
|
18.1
|
0.6%
|
|
40t
|
Greensboro (46) |
18.2
|
14.9
|
22.1%
|
12.8
|
42.2%
|
|
42
|
Hartford-New Haven (29) |
18.1
|
15.5
|
16.8%
|
19.7
|
-8.1%
|
|
43
|
Milwaukee (34) |
17.3
|
16.7
|
3.6%
|
20.1
|
-13.9%
|
|
44
|
Memphis (47) |
16.9
|
12.3
|
37.4%
|
13.8
|
22.5%
|
|
45
|
Greenville-Spartanburg-
Asheville (36) |
16.6
|
13.8
|
20.3%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
46t
|
Philadelphia (4) |
16.4
|
17.2
|
-4.7%
|
18.1
|
-9.4%
|
|
46t
|
Raleigh-Durham (28) |
16.4
|
13.6
|
20.6%
|
11.5
|
42.6%
|
|
48t
|
Cincinnati (33) |
16.2
|
14.6
|
11.0%
|
16.8
|
-3.6%
|
|
48t
|
Tulsa (60) |
16.2
|
11.8
|
37.3%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
50t
|
Charlotte (25) |
16.0
|
15.3
|
4.6%
|
13.2
|
21.2%
|
|
50t
|
Houston (10) |
16.0
|
11.8
|
35.6%
|
12.4
|
29.0%
|
|
50t
|
Pittsburgh (22) |
16.0
|
18.3
|
-12.6%
|
18.8
|
-14.9%
|
|
53t
|
Birmingham (40) |
15.8
|
12
|
31.7%
|
11.8
|
33.9%
|
|
53t
|
Dayton (62) |
15.8
|
13.4
|
17.9%
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
55t
|
Detroit (11) |
15.7
|
21.7
|
-27.6%
|
14.8
|
6.1%
|
|
55t
|
San Antonio (37) |
15.7
|
16.7
|
-6.0%
|
14.7
|
6.8%
|
|
