Did the Olympics Clean Up Tuesday’s Primetime Ratings? What Do You Think?

Once again, the Olympics wiped the floor with the other networks on Tuesday as NBC reached its highest ratings since the Games began last Friday. Here’s the press release:

PHELPS AND GYMNASTICS POWERS NBC TO MOST VIEWED AND HIGHEST RATED NIGHT OF BEIJING GAMES

First Olympic TAMi Released Today

Total Viewership for Beijing Games Reaches 168 Million – Nearly 15 Million More Than Athens

BEIJING –Aug. 14, 2008 – NBC had its most viewed and highest rated night of the Olympics so far as Michael Phelps set the record for most Olympic gold medals ever won last night, reaching 82 million total viewers and posting a 19.9 rating, 34 share. 

JEFF ZUCKER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NBC UNIVERSAL: "Obviously our multi-platform Olympic strategy is a success, but this record-breaking Olympic performance is proving that network television is more alive than ever.  We are breaking records that are 20, 30 and nearly 50 years old – this is a fantastic triumph for network TV."

Today, NBC Universal has issued its first TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index) for the first four days of the Beijing Games.  On Monday Aug. 11, the total TAMi was 103,048,165. (more detail below)

ALAN WURTZEL, PRESIDENT, RESEARCH, NBC UNIVERSAL:  "The beauty of the TAMi is that we can optimize the way we measure content across all of our platforms and evaluate how each platform is being used over time.  When we look at the first few days of TAMi data, it's clear that while the power of broadcast television remains unmatched, consumers are seeking out and taking advantage of all the different platforms offering Olympic coverage, creating an entirely new Olympic experience."

Monday night's 82 million total viewers is the most of any night so for in the Beijing Games.  The 34.0 million average viewers bested Athens by nearly four million viewers (30.1) and the night earned a 19.9 rating/34 share, a nine percent jump from Athens in 2004 (18.3/30).

Through five days NBCU has attracted 168 million total viewers, nearly15 million more than the first five days for Athens (153 million).

NBC's Beijing Olympic five-day average viewership is 31.3 million, almost five million more than Athens in 2004 (25.8 million).  The national rating average of 17.8/31 is the best primetime rating through the first Tuesday for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics since Barcelona in 1992 (18.2/34) and is a 16 percent jump from Athens in 2004 (15.4/27).

FIRST PUBLICLY ISSUED TAMI: The TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index) will measure the 3600 hours of programming during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including Television (P2+ reach), Online (Unique Users), Mobile (WAP unique users and Mobile VOD unique users) and TV VOD (unique users).  Below is the TAMi for each of the first four days of the Games:

Friday, Aug.  8: 74,606,981
Saturday, Aug. 9: 97,785,013
Sunday, Aug. 10: 113,001,144
Monday, Aug, 11: 103,048,165

*A complete TAMi through Aug. 11 is available at NBC Media Village at www.nbcumv.com .  Click TAMi graphic on right side of the page.

TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO SWELL ON NBCOLYMPICS.COM: Through five days NBCOlympics.com has easily surpassed the Athens Games in every metric:

VIDEO STREAMS: 17.7 million for Beijing, 2.2 million for ENTIRE Athens Games (+705%) 
UNIQUE USERS: 21.1 million for Beijing, 11.1 million for ENTIRE Athens Games (+90%)
PAGE VIEWS: 373.9 million for Beijing, 229.9 million for ENTIRE Athens Games (+63%)

So NBC has over 100 million reasons to crow about the ratings.