FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 16th, 2016
NBC RANKS #1 IN PRIMETIME FOR 50TH CONSECUTIVE OLYMPIC NIGHT
NBC Olympics Hits 2 Billion Live Streaming Minutes for Rio 2016
Monday’s Total Audience Delivery Registers 25.5 Million Primetime Viewers
RIO DE JANEIRO – August 16, 2016 – NBC Olympics’ exclusive and unprecedented multi-platform coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics continues to dominate the competition.
NBC’s Monday primetime Rio Olympics broadcast was by far the most-watched show of the night – marking the 50th consecutive night that an NBC Olympic presentation has topped primetime. This streak began with Day 14 of the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Monday’s primetime Rio Olympics coverage posted a Total Audience Delivery average of 25.5 million viewers with a 14.9 household rating.
Last night’s NBC-only Rio Olympics coverage (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) averaged 24.3 million viewers and posted a 14.1/24 household rating, according to national data from The Nielsen Company. Also in primetime on Monday, NBCSN’s live Olympic competition coverage averaged 948,000 viewers.
Through Monday, NBC Olympics’ live streaming for Rio 2016 has reached two billion live streaming minutes for the first time in history. That total tops by more than 500 million minutes the combined total of ALL prior Olympics.
Additional NBC Olympics metrics:
- After 11 days, the NBC-only average primetime viewership (27.5 million viewers) and household rating (15.3) have respective 272% and 212% advantages over ABC, CBS and FOX combined – the second-largest Games advantage on record (behind only the London Olympics).
- Among Adults 18-49, NBC’s 11-night 7.9 primetime rating in the demographic is nearly five times greater than the other broadcast networks combined (1.6 on ABC, CBS and FOX) – the largest advantage in the first 11 days of any Olympics (on record).
NBC Olympics coverage on other channels and digital streaming has lifted primetime viewership each night (chart below).
| Date | Total Audience Delivery | NBC-only viewership | TAD Lift |
| Sat. 8/6 | 23.5 million | 20.6 million | 14% |
| Sun. 8/7 | 31.8 million | 29.8 million | 7% |
| Mon. 8/8 | 31.5 million | 28.9 million | 9% |
| Tues. 8/9 | 36.1 million | 33.4 million | 8% |
| Wed. 8/10 | 28.6 million | 26.4 million | 8% |
| Thur. 8/11 | 33.0 million | 31.2 million | 6% |
| Fri. 8/12 | 26.0 million | 24.0 million | 8% |
| Sat. 8/13 | 26.8 million | 25.5 million | 5% |
| Sun. 8/14 | 28.1 million | 26.7 million | 5% |
| Mon. 8/15 | 25.5 million | 24.3 million | 5% |
| Average | 29.5 million | 27.5 million | 7% |
NBC Olympics’ Total Audience Delivery measures broader Rio Olympics consumption by calculating average minute viewing across broadcast, cable, and digital. The 2016 Rio Olympics is the first in U.S. media history with live primetime Olympic coverage on channels other than the primary broadcast network. It is also the first time that the broadcast network coverage, including primetime, has been streamed simultaneously on digital platforms.
Through the 10 nights of competition, Total Audience Delivery for Rio 2016 and the 2012 London Olympics:
OLYMPICS TOTAL AUDIENCE DELIVERY
| Day | Rio 2016 | London 2012* | Rio 2016 | London 2012* |
| 1st Sat. | 23.5 million | 28.7 million | 13.0 rating | 15.8 rating |
| 1st Sun. | 31.8 million | 36.0 million | 17.3 rating | 19.8 rating |
| 1st Mon. | 31.5 million | 31.6 million | 18.1 rating | 18.0 rating |
| 1st Tues. | 36.1 million | 38.7 million | 20.5 rating | 21.8 rating |
| 1st Wed. | 28.6 million | 30.8 million | 16.5 rating | 17.9 rating |
| 1st Thurs. | 33.0 million | 36.8 million | 18.9 rating | 21.1 rating |
| 1st Friday | 26.0 million | 28.5 million | 15.0 rating | 16.2 rating |
| Mid. Sat. | 26.8 million | 28.0 million | 15.0 rating | 15.9 rating |
| Mid. Sun. | 28.1 million | 31.3 million | 15.8 rating | 17.5 rating |
| 2nd Mon. | 25.5 million | 26.6 million | 14.9 rating | 15.8 rating |
*NOTE: The 2012 London Olympics had no simultaneous live streaming and no competing primetime Olympic cable coverage.
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR NBC MONDAY PRIMETIME:
| 1. Salt Lake City | 20.6/39 |
| 2. Austin | 19.9/34 |
| 3. Denver | 19.6/37 |
| 4. St. Louis | 19.4/30 |
| 5. Minneapolis | 18.3/33 |
| 6. Columbus | 18.2/30 |
| 7. Indianapolis | 18.1/30 |
| 8. Norfolk | 17.6/28 |
| 9. Milwaukee | 17.0/28 |
| T10. Dayton | 16.8/27 |
| T10. Richmond | 16.8/27 |
| T10. San Antonio | 16.8/26 |
About NBC Olympics
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The London 2012 Olympic Games were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
–Rio 2016—
