NBC executives not only declared victory for the February sweeps, but they
also guaranteed victory Tuesday for the 2001-2002 season in both adults 18
through 49 and total viewers.
Thanks to the just completed Winter Olympic Games, NBC dominated the February
sweeps in all ratings categories and won its eighth consecutive sweep in
the key demo.
With two nights to go in the February sweeps, NBC is averaging an 8.8 rating/22
share in adults 18 through 49 and Fox, which had the Super Bowl, is in second place with
a 5.5/13.
For the season, NBC expects to finish with a 6.4 rating in adults 18 through 49.
'We will win this season by the biggest margin of victory by any network in
four years, this in a season that many had predicted would mark the end of NBC's
dominance,' Zucker said on a conference call with reporters.
'Instead, our dominance has only grown, and the fact is that we would have had
this huge margin even without the Olympics. The Olympics, of course, has made it
even bigger.'
