NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics from PyeongChang, South Korea, drew a 16.5 overnight household rating and 27 share, topping the first Sunday night ratings four years ago when the games were in Sochi, Russia.
This year’s rating does not include digital viewing and live streaming.
With the Olympics, NBC’s ratings more than doubled the 6.3 combined primetime total for ABC, CBS and Fox, noted NBC, which views the dominant rating as an attraction for advertisers.
Commercials are sold on a Total Audience Delivery metric that includes streaming and out of home viewing. Additional data on Sunday ratings—including total viewers and streaming audiences—will be released later in the day.
Ratings peaked during the team figure skating compeition with a 18.6/29 between 9:45 and 10 p.m. ET.
NBC said promotion during the Olympics helped boost its broadcast of the Penguins-Blues NHL hockey game on Sunday afternoon. The game recorded a 1.4 overnight rating—NBC’s best hockey rating in five years, excluding outdoor contents.
