Day 1 of the Games of the XXX Summer Olympics brings some amazing final ratings for the National Broadcasting Company.
Primetime saw a rating of 15.8 and a 29 share which is 14% higher than the opening night of the Communist China Olympics.
Average viewership was 28.7 million and that is the most watched opening night of the Summer Olympics in the history of American television.
Daytime numbers also saw increases from four years ago.
Let’s check out the numbers from NBC.
NBC’S FIRST NIGHT OF OLYMPIC COMPETITION IS MOST-WATCHED SUMMER OLYMPICS OPENING NIGHT ON RECORD
28.7 Million Average Viewers Tops First Night from Atlanta by More Than 2 Million Viewers; Nearly 5 Million More than Beijing; and Nearly 9 Million More than Athens, the Last European Olympics
NBC’s two-day primetime average of 35.6 million viewers is the best start to a Summer Olympics on record
15.8/29 National Rating for First Night of Competition is 14% Higher than Beijing and 34% Higher than Athens; Best for Any Non-U.S. Summer Olympics Ever
NBC’s Daytime and Late Night Rating and Viewership Enjoy Significant GainsLONDON – July 29, 2012 – The first night of competition from the London Olympics (8:30-11:28 p.m. ET/PT) is the MOST-WATCHED for a Summer Games opening night on record, with 28.7 million average viewers, topping the first night of competition from the 1996 Atlanta Games by more than two million viewers (26.3 million). Last night’s viewership is nearly five million more than the first night of the 2008 Beijing Olympics (24.0 million), and nearly nine million more than the first night of the 2004 Athens Olympics (19.8 million), the last European Olympics.
NBC’s two-day primetime average of 35.6 million viewers is the best start to a Summer Olympics on record, more than two million more than Atlanta (33.3 million), and more than six million more viewers than Beijing (29.5 million).
Last night’s competition on NBC, which featured the first duel between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, earned a 15.8/29 national rating/share, the best for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics opening night in 36 years since Montreal Olympics. The rating is 14 percent higher than the first night of the Beijing Olympics (13.9/27), which featured live coverage of Phelps’ first of his eight gold medals.
Last night’s national rating of 15.8/29 is also 34 percent higher than the first night of competition in Athens in 2004 (11.8/23), the last European Olympics.
AVERAGE VIEWERS FOR 1st NIGHT OF COMPETITION (ALL SUMMER GAMES ON RECORD):
1. London – 2012: 28.7 Million NBC
2. Atlanta – 1996: 26.3 Million NBC
3. Beijing – 2008: 24.0 Million NBC
4. Seoul – 1988: 23.8 Million NBC
5. Barcelona – 1992: 21.6 Million NBC
6. Sydney – 2000: 21.0 Million NBC
7. Athens – 2004: 19.8 Million NBCNBC’S DAYTIME AND LATE NIGHT VIEWERSHIP SOARS:
- The Noon-6 p.m. ET/PT window drew 14.9 million viewers and a household rating of 9.3/23, an increase of 20% and 19%, respectively vs. Beijing Games.
- The early-morning window (5-9:46 a.m. ET/PT) drew 5.1 million viewers and had a household rating of 3.6/16. There is no comparable coverage for this time period in previous Games.
- The late night program (12:30-1:18 a.m. ET/PT) drew 7.4 million viewers and a household rating of 4.9/15, an increase of 35% and 29%, respectively.
TOP 20 METERED MARKETS FOR LAST NIGHT:
1. Salt Lake City — 23.9/46
2. San Diego — 22.8/43
3. Kansas City — 22.4/42
4. Columbus — 21.5/39
5. Ft. Myers — 21.3/40
6. Milwaukee — 20.6/38
7. Denver — 20.5/44
8. Indianapolis — 20.4/39
9. Sacramento — 20.2/41
10. Nashville — 19.6/34
11. Oklahoma City — 19.2/32
12. St. Louis — 18.9/35
13. Richmond — 18.7/33
14. Portland — 18.5/41
T15. San Francisco — 18.4/40
T15. Boston — 18.4/36
T17. Norfolk — 18.3/30
T17. Albuquerque — 18.3/34
T17. Jacksonville — 18.3/31
20. Phoenix — 18.1/32
Great numbers for the first day of the Games. Let’s see how the numbers hold up as the 17 Days of Glory continue.
