February 23rd, 2014
According to the Nielsen ratings aggregate site, hitfix.com, NBC’s Olympic coverage won the night compared to other networks, but their overall viewer pull was still down from previous nights, and down overall historically.
While still in the lead, the news doesn’t bode well for NBC in general, as only one other network was running new programming, To add to the disappointment, the coverage was showcasing what should have been an eye-catcher: 18-year-old American Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom gold medal win — which should have been one of the bigger moments of the games for the United States, displaying an up and coming and very marketable star.
NBC earned an average of 14.55 million viewers according to Nielsen — an 8.6/15 share for Friday’s primetime spot. CBS was a distant second with 6.17 million viewers and 4.0/7, beating out the 5.38 million viewers and 3.5/6 for Disney’s ABC. FOX was fourth, with a 2.25 million viewers (1.4/2).
8 p.m. Primetime Ratings
NBC’s Olympic coverage — 14.04 million viewers
CBS’s “Blue Bloods” (repeat) — 5.33 million viewers
ABC’s two “Last Man Standing” (repeat) — 3.96 million viewers
FOX’s “Bones” (repeat) — 3.13 million viewers
Ratings like these will continue to raise questions over whether NBC should tape-delay the games when in locations not conducive to the American daily schedule. The next games (in Rio, Brazil) should be much more hospitable.
Emily Torres is an Entertainment and News Blogger for TV and Dish Network.
Categories: DISH & TV news