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NBC got an Olympics lift from “Prime-time” Phelps

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Michael Phelps helped NBC to a sizeable ratings lead before leaving the Water Cube for the last time with his eighth Beijing Games gold medal in hand.

Now, parent company NBC Universal will learn whether other Olympians can pick up where Phelps -- and the always-popular gymnasts -- left off. That usually isn’t the case because Americans typically watch more swimming and gymnastics than track and field.

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‘Generally during the Summer Olympics, the average ratings on television decline in week 2,’ according to a research report released on Monday by Steve Sternberg, executive vice president for audience analysis with Magna, a New York-based media company.

Sunday night’s audience was 26.8 million, up from 26 million on the comparable night’s broadcast from Athens. The network’s rating for both nights was 15.8.

NBC’s average rating (17.2) and average audience (29.8 million) for the first 10 days of

immediately following Phelps’ record-breaking eighth gold medal win. Credit: Associated Press/Visa Inc.

prime-time Beijing Games broadcasts rose over comparable numbers (26.2 million viewers and a 15.8 rating) during the 2004 Athens Games.

NBC also said on Monday that its Today and Nightly News shows have benefited from the Olympics’ ‘halo effect.’

NBC Universal researchers also are tracking the role that the Internet, cellphones and cable TV video-on-demand channels are playing in how Americans consume Olympics content.

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Television remains the king of NBC Universal’s content providers. But the media company’s Total Audience Measurement Index is starting to show some potentially interesting patterns as more Olympic action becomes available online.

On weekends, TAMI data suggests, consumers get as much as 95% of their Olympics directly from television. On weekdays, NBCOlympics.com gets busier, and TV’s lead falls by about 3%.

-- Greg Johnson

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