NBC Universal: Beijing closes in on ’96 Atlanta Games

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NBC’s prime-time television broadcast on Thursday from the Beijing Games averaged 22.4 million viewers, up from 21.5 million during the comparable broadcast from the 2004 Athens Games. Both broadcasts generated a 13.8 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The network’s prime-time average viewership for the first 14 days of the Beijing Games is 28.6 million, up 11% from 25.7 million during the like period from Athens, according to Nielsen. The 14-day broadcast period has a 16.8 average rating, up from 15.6 in Athens.

NBC Universal also stuffed a bunch of other glowing numbers into its Friday news release.

Citing Nielsen data, the company said that 85% of all U.S. (television) households have spent at least some time in front of the tube watching Olympics-related broadcasts.

And, with three more prime-time broadcasts to go, NBC Universal says that its networks (NBC and the cable channels) have reached 207 million total viewers -- or just two million shy of the total number of viewers generated by 17 days of broadcasts from the 1996 Atlanta Games.

NBC Universal, again citing Nielsen data, described the Atlanta Games as ‘the most viewed event in U.S. television history.’

-- Greg Johnson