RIO DE JANEIRO—NBC is earned gold in the ratings during the first weekend of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. According to a press release from the broadcaster, the first two days of the Games are the second best primetime start of any Olympics on record.
The average primetime viewership for the first two nights of the Olympics was 24.4 million viewers, while the household rating was 13.0. Compared to all other broadcast networks over the same span, NBC reports it as a 294 percent viewership advantage and a 210 percent household edge. Those numbers are second only to the 2012 London Olympics according to the press release.
NBC says that its Saturday coverage of the Games was watched by 80.5 million viewers in 46.5 million homes. The primetime figures do not include simultaneous coverage on the other NBCUniversal channels, including NBCSN, which drew in an average of 1.5 million viewers, and Bravo, which had 705,000 reported viewers. Overall, NBC received a 5.9 primetime rating with adults between 18-49, which bested other networks’ combined 0.7 for what the press release says is the largest advantage on record for any non-Super Bowl night.
Though the comparison to other networks trails London, NBC reports that its full-day coverage of events is topping London over the same time period to this point. It is also seeing record highs for digital streaming, reporting a total of 155 million live streaming minutes and 11.3 million unique users on Saturday; NBC reports a total of 216 million live streaming minutes through Saturday.
NBC is expected to begin reporting Total Audience Delivery later this week. These reports will measure full consumption of broadcast, cable and digital/other.
