LONDON OLYMPICS on NBC is Most-Watched TV Event in U.S. History

219.4 million Americans watched the London Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal, setting the record as the most-watched event in U.S. television history, surpassing the 2008 Beijing Olympics (215 million), according to data available today from The Nielsen Company.

NBCUniversal, presented its 13th Olympics, the most by any U.S. media company, with an unprecedented 5,535 hours of the 2012 London Olympics coverage across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours.

· With 219.4 million viewers, London Olympics is most-watched event in U.S. television history;

· 31.0 million average viewership for Closing Ceremony is most-watched for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics in 36 Years - topped Beijing by 12% and Athens by 58%;

· NBC averaged 31.1 million viewers over 17 nights in primetime, the most-watched non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the 1976 Montreal Olympics - topped Beijing by 12% and Athens by 26%;

· The 17.5/30 national household rating over 17 nights in primetime ties the 1988 Seoul Olympics as the highest-rated non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the 1976 Montreal Olympics;

· NBC Olympics Digital set multiple records with video streams, engagement time and page views - nearly 2 billion page views and 159 million video streams;

· NBC Sports Network had its most-watched event ever and its six most-watched days ever;

· Halo effect led to record ratings and significant growth for NBC News' TODAY and "Nightly News with BrIan Williams";

· London Olympics lifts ratings and viewership for NBC's affiliated stations and NBC Owned Television Stations;

· Telemundo more than doubled its viewership from the 2008 Beijing Olympics;

· Salt Lake City is top Olympic metered market for 7th straight Olympics;

· Mountain Time Zone leads the way, followed by Pacific, Central and Eastern.

STEVE BURKE: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NBCUNIVERSAL:

"The London Olympics was a wonderful 17 days for NBCUniversal, exceeding all our expectations in viewership, digital consumption and revenue. Every part of our company contributed to our success, once again showing how effective we can be when we all get together to support a large project. This was the first Olympic Games for Comcast and the new NBCUniversal, and the first in history in which every minute of every event was available live. We are proud to have been part of the last two weeks, and we couldn't have asked for a better start to our long run of Olympic Games through 2020."

MARK LAZARUS: CHAIRMAN, NBC SPORTS GROUP:

"For 17 days, NBCUniversal has surrounded the American viewer with the London Olympics, which have now become the most-watched event in U.S. television history. There are thousands of dedicated and talented people in London and New York who take great pride in being part of these historic Games and this television milestone."

Below is a rundown of how London Olympics "halo effect" benefited the various divisions and dayparts of NBCUniversal:

BROADCAST

MOST WATCHED EVENTS IN U.S. TELEVSION HISTORY:
1. London Olympics - 2012 219.4 million NBC
2. Beijing Olympics - 2008 215 million NBC
3. Atlanta Olympics - 1996 209 million NBC
4. Lillehammer Olympics - 1994 204 million CBS
5. Athens Olympics - 2004 203 million NBC
6. Seoul Olympics - 1988 194 million NBC
7. Barcelona Olympics - 1992 192 million NBC
8. Vancouver Olympics - 2010 190 million NBC
9. Salt Lake City Olympics - 2002 187 million NBC
10. Sydney Olympics - 2000 185 million NBC

LONDON OLYMPICS IS MOST-WATCHED NON-U.S. SUMMER GAMES IN 36 YEARS:

The London Olympics has averaged 31.1 million viewers in primetime, and a household rating of 17.5, making it the most-watched and highest-rated (tying Seoul 1988) non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

· The London Olympics average primetime viewership of 31.1 million viewers is 3.4 million more viewers and 12% higher than the Beijing Olympics (27.7 million) 6.5 million more viewers and 26% higher than the Athens Olympics (24.6 million).

· Nine nights of the London Olympics have drawn more than 30 million viewers, topping The Combined total from the 2008 Beijing Olympics (5) and 2004 Athens Olympics (2).

· According to Nielsen live + same day data, the last primetime series to average 30 million viewers was the 2006 season of American Idol.

AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP - NON-U.S. SUMMER OLYMPICS
London Olympics - 2012 31.1 million NBC
Beijing Olympics - 2008 27.7 million NBC
Barcelona Olympics - 1992 25.9 million NBC
Seoul Olympics - 1988 25.3 million NBC
Athens Olympics - 2004 24.6 million NBC
Sydney Olympics - 2000 21.5 million NBC

· The London Olympics 17-night primetime household rating of 17.5/30 ties the 1988 Seoul Olympics as the highest-rated non-U.S. Summer Olympics since Montreal in 1976.

· The 17.5/30 is 8% higher than Beijing (16.2/28), and 17% higher than Athens (15.0/26), the last European Summer Olympics.

CLOSING CEREMONY IS MOST-WATCHED AND HIGHEST-RATED IN 36 YEARS:

Last night's Closing Ceremony on NBC averaged 31.0 million viewers, the most-watched Closing Ceremony for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics in 36 years. The 31.0 million viewers is 12% more than the Closing Ceremony for Beijing (27.8 million) and 58% more than Athens (19.6 million).

The Closing Ceremony on NBC (8:30-10:58 p.m. ET/PT) earned a 17.0/27 national household rating/share, up 10% from Beijing (15.5/25) and up 43% from Athens (11.9/20).

LONDON OLYMPICS DOMINANT AGAINST COMPETITION: With all 17 nights, the London Olympics stands as the most dominant Olympics in Primetime vs. the three major competing broadcast networks in NBC records (1988 Calgary - now).

OLYMPICS ON NBC 30.5 million in strict primetime
Fox/CBS/ABC combined: 9.1 million (235% advantage)
CBS 4.0 million (663% advantage)
ABC 2.9 million (952% advantage)
Fox 2.2 million (1,286% advantage)

· The London Olympics holds 8 of the top 10 most dominant nights in household ratings vs. The Combined three major broadcast nets in the history of people meters; seven of the top 10 among viewers 2+ (excluding Super Bowls).

NBC'S WEEKDAY DAYTIME SHOW IS MOST-WATCHED IN HISTORY OF NON-U.S. SUMMER OLYMPICS: The London Olympics weekday daytime show, co-hosted by Al Michaels and Dan Patrick, has set numerous viewership records.

· Average weekday viewership of 7.1 million for all 10 telecasts makes it the most-watched weekday daytime show of any non-U.S. Summer Olympics in history;

· EVERY weekday daytime telecast from the London Olympics has topped the viewership of the comparable day in Beijing;

· Average viewership is up 31% from the Beijing Olympics (5.4 million) and up 37% from the Athens Olympics (5.2 million), the last European Summer Olympics.

MOST WATCHED WEEKDAY DAYTIME SHOW (NON-U.S. SUMMER OLYMPICS):
1. London - 2012 7.1 million
2. Barcelona - 1992 5.9 million
3. Seoul - 1988 5.5 million
4. Beijing - 2008 5.4 million
5. Athens - 2004 5.2 million
6. Sydney - 2000 3.3 million

Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

 

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