Beijing numbers rising for NBC

NBC's Friday night network broadcast of the Beijing Games opening ceremony averaged 34.2 million viewers, up from the 2004 Athens Games' opening broadcast, which had an average audience of 25.4 million viewers.

(For comparison's sake, the 1996 Atlanta Games, which got a boost from friendlier time zones, averaged 39.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.)

NBC Universal reported that 69.9 million total viewers tuned in for at least part of the broadcast that ran from 8 p.m. to 11:19 p.m. (EDT/PDT). The 2004 Athens Games' opening broadcast drew 56 million total viewers, and the Atlanta Games broadcast attracted 77 million total viewers. (Nielsen Media Research doesn't have corresponding numbers from the 1984 Los Angeles Games.)

The Beijing broadcast earned an 18.6 national rating, a 27% increase over the Athens Games' 14.6 opening night rating. Atlanta's first-night broadcast earned a 23.6 rating, and the 1984 Games had a 23.9 rating.

NBC Universal boasted that Friday night's show was "the highest rated Opening Ceremony for a non-domestic Summer Olympics ever, surpassing the 1960 Rome Games on CBS that delivered an 18.1/36, a record that stood for 48 years, according to Nielsen Media Research."
 
Here's what Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, said in a statement: "The Olympic Opening Ceremony captivated the American public in unprecedented numbers for a non-U.S. Olympics. It was a magical and memorable spectacle and a great way to start the Beijing Olympics."

-- Greg Johnson

Photo: Fireworks light up the sky as paramilitary policemen stand guard outside the Bird's Nest during the 2008 Beijing Games' opening ceremony on Friday night. Credit: China Photos / Getty Images

Comments

[Bill Baldwin, Jr.]

The day Dick Ebersol became the head guy for Olympics at NBC was the day Live as in happening now, went out the window, especially on the west coast. NBC is broadcasting tonight in prime time the Men's Gymnastics qualifying action. The results have been know for at least 15 hours as I write this at 6:50 pm LA time.

And even when an event is brought to us live: on the internet via the official website for NBC -- the USA vs. Japan in women's soccer: the picture was there but only the background audio, meaning no play by play of the event, which adds so much to the sport from my perspective. It so happened the match was on television on an obscure channel devoted to soccer only, but who knew that?

And finally, Bob Costas did his usual stand up routine for the opening ceremonies. He is great at many things, but as the lead voice for something like the opening ceremonies, "Shecky" Costas makes everything seem like dinner theater in Sarasota.