NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics is off to a good start, outpacing its
viewership performance over the first two days from the 2006 Games by
one-third.
The network averaged a 14.0 rating/25 share and 26.2 million viewers for its
Feb. 13 presentation, 13% above the 23.2 million who watched the second night
of the Torino Olympics in 2006, according to Nielsen data. The Feb. 13 telecast
outpointed the second night of the 2006 Games, which scored a 13.5 rating/23
share, by 4%
Combined with the opening ceremony, NBC averaged 30 million viewers for the
first two days of the Vancouver Games, the most for a non-U.S. Winter Olympics
since the tabloid-fueled 1994 Lillehammer Games (39.9 million). The 30 million
is 33% higher than the two-day average viewership from Torino
(22.6 million).
The 15.9/28 average household rating to date is up 21% from Torino
(13.1/22) and the best for a non-U.S. Winter Games since Lillehammer
(25.2/38). NBC has guaranteed advertisers a 14.0 average in primetime.
