OT-NBC scores big with Olympic coverage
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:44 amNBC scored a gold medal with its coverage of the Summer Olympics, according to the latest report from Nielsen Media Research. The Beijing Games were the most-watched U.S. television event of all time, with 211 million viewers tuning in to NBC or one of its sister channels over the first 16 days of coverage. That figure doesn't include Sunday's (August 24th) closing ceremonies. Any viewer who watched six minutes of coverage could be included in the final tabulation. NBC's broadcast network averaged 27.7 million viewers per night.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, some believe previous ratings blockbusters like the 1969 Apollo moon landing or the 1977 mini-series Roots, aired at a time when they were far less channel choices, attracted more viewers than the Olympics. But NBC says the growth in population and number of television owners since then created a larger audience for the Beijing Games.
