NBC’s 2nd Monday Olympic Primetime Posts Big Numbers

NBC has good reason to crow about its Monday Olympic primetime ratings. For just the second time during the Sochi Games, it beat both Vancouver’s and Turin’s numbers.

The rating for the second Monday of the XXII Olympic Winter Games registered a 13.8 and a 21 share. That’s 10% higher from Vancouver’s 12.5/20 and one percent above Turin’s 13.6/21.

Viewership received NFL-type numbers, 23.5 million as compared to 20.9 million for Vancouver on the comparable night and 22.5 million during Turin.

Of course, NBC’s presentation beat all competition rather easily.

Here’s the announcement.

NBC Sochi Olympics LogoNBC RECORDS MOST WATCHED & HIGHEST RATED SECOND MONDAY OF WINTER OLYMPICS SINCE LIVE SALT LAKE CITY GAMES IN 2002

NBC Posts Most Dominant Monday Night in Sept.-May TV Season by Any Broadcast Net Since ’98 Academy Awards Featuring “Titanic” As Best Picture
NBCSN Monday Telecast Sets Network Record for Weekday Daytime Viewership
USA-Czech Republic Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal Airs Live at 12 Noon ET Wednesday on USA Network; Live Figure Skating Remains on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – February 18, 2014 – Last night’s primetime Olympics on NBC (8-11 p.m. ET) featuring Meryl Davis and Charlie White winning America’s first-ever ice dancing Olympic gold medal ranks as the most watched and highest rated second Monday of a Winter Olympics since the live U.S.-based Salt Lake City Games in 2002. The Monday night telecast averaged 23.5 million viewers and a 13.8 household rating/21 share, according to live plus same day fast national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

In addition, NBC last night topped the combined primetime viewership and household rating of ABC, CBS and FOX (18.2 million viewers and 11.7 household rating) by 29% and 18% — marking the most-dominant Monday night in the Sept.-May TV season by any broadcast network compared to the combined performance of the other major broadcast networks since the 1998 Academy Awards, which featured Titanic as Best Picture.

  • Last night’s 23.5 million viewers and 13.8 household rating/21 share topped the comparable second Monday for the 2010 Vancouver Games by 12% and 10% respectively (20.9 million viewers; 12.5 household rating/20 share) and the 2006 Torino Games by 4% and 1% (22.5 million viewers; 13.6 household rating/21 share).
  • NBCSN posted another daytime (6 a.m.-3 p.m. ET) viewership milestone on Monday, averaging a network weekday-record 1.6 million viewers for coverage which featured ice dancing, men’s ski jumping and Team USA women’s hockey. In six weekdays of Sochi Olympics coverage to date, NBCSN has recorded its six most-watched weekdays ever in the 6 a.m.-3 p.m. ET time period.

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS TO DATE NBC PRIMETIME COVERAGE (Feb. 6-Feb. 17):

Market HH rating/share
1. Minneapolis 20.4/35
2. Salt Lake City 19.6/37
3. Denver 18.9/32
4. Milwaukee 18.0/29
5. Kansas City 17.6/28
6. Ft. Myers 17.3/27
7. Indianapolis 16.8/27
8. Portland 16.4/28
9. Buffalo 16.2/25
10. Pittsburgh 15.8/24

That is all.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Quantcast