Olympics most-watched US TV event ever: NBC

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 14 August 2012

NBC declared the London Olympics as the most-watched event in US television history with 219.4 million viewers. This surpassed the previous record set by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, despite criticism of NBC's scheduling choices.

Summary

The London Olympics had more viewers than any other event in US television history, broadcaster NBC said.

Despite being widely lambasted for its scheduling choices, NBC's coverage proved a massive hit.

With 219.4 million American viewers on NBCUniversal networks, it set the record as the most-watched event in US television history, surpassing the 2008 Beijing Olympics (215 million), according to data from Nielsen.

NBC, which had sole rights in the United States, broadcast 5,535 hours of the games across its channels, far more than the nearly 2,000 hours aired from Beijing.

"The London Olympics was a wonderful 17 days for NBCUniversal, exceeding all our expectations in viewership, digital consumption and revenue," Steve Burke, the CEO of NBCUniversal, said in a statement Monday. - AFP

KEY POINTS:

• 219.4 million American viewers for London Olympics
• Surpassed 2008 Beijing Olympics' 215 million viewers
• NBC broadcast 5,535 hours of the games
• CEO Steve Burke praised viewership and revenue
• Data sourced from Nielsen highlights record-breaking event