Record in the Pool, Records on TV

On Saturday, Michael Phelps got his record 8th gold medal at the Ice Cube in Communist China. In addition, NBC got its highest rated Saturday night in almost 20 years. Think about that. Eighteen years ago, Golden Girls was anchoring NBC’s primetime lineup at the time. And that’s when Saturday nights were not a throwaway for programming like they are today.

So, NBC saw some great ratings for the last night of swimming and most likely, it will be the last increase the network will see for the 17 Days of Glory.

Here’s the press release:

 NBC’S MOST VIEWED SATURDAY PROGRAM IN 18 YEARS

 31.1 Million Average Viewers Watch Michael Phelps Win 8th Gold of Games

 191 Million Watch Beijing Games in Just 9 Days; More Than 17-day Totals for Salt Lake & Sydney

BEIJING –Aug. 18, 2008 –NBC's broadcast of the Olympics last night was the most viewed Saturday night program (31.1 million) on NBC since 1990, when Michael Phelps was four years old. On the night when Phelps, now considered the greatest Olympian of all-time, won his unprecedented eighth gold medal of these Games and record 14th career Olympic gold medal, the audience peaked at nearly 40 million viewers in the 11:00 p.m. half-hour during the Men's 4x100 medley relay.

"The mystery of China combined with the unbelievable phenomenon of Michael Phelps, the terrific performances by gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson and defending Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh at beach volleyball have captivated the imagination of the country," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics and Executive Producer of NBC's Olympic coverage. 

NBC's 31.1 million viewers for last night's broadcast represents the best Saturday night viewership of a program on the network since Michael Phelps was four-years-old.  The "Golden Girls" spin-off "Empty Nest" starring Richard Mulligan drew 31.4 million viewers on Feb. 24, 1990.

Through nine days NBCU has reached 191 million total viewers, 14 million more than the first nine days for Athens (177 million) and 5 million more than the Atlanta Games (186 million), which was the most viewed television event in U.S. history.  The nine-day total for these Games now surpasses the final overall 17-day viewership totals for the Salt Lake City (187 million) and Sydney (185 million).

NBC's Beijing Olympic nine-day average primetime viewership is 30.1 million, 15 percent ahead of Athens in 2004 (26.2 million).  NBC's average of 17.4 rating/30 share is the best through the second Saturday for a Summer Olympics outside the U.S. since Barcelona in 1992 (18.6/35) and is a 10 percent jump from Athens in 2004 (15.8/28).

Saturday night garnered 70 million total viewers in primetime and 31.1 million average viewers, a 38 percent gain from the comparable night in Athens (22.5). The night earned a 17.6 rating/32 share, which represents a 29 percent increase (13.6/26). 

THE PHELPS PHENOMENAN: Michael Phelps, over the last nine days has become the most decorated Olympian in history and the biggest star in the Beijing Games to date.  NBC's broadcast peaked last night with 39.9 million viewers during the 11:00 p.m. half hour, as the U.S. team won the 4x100m medley relay, giving Phelps his eighth gold medal of the games. Below is what NBC's Bob Costas, Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines have said about Phelps:

COSTAS: "What Phelps provided in Beijing was more than just sustained excellence. He provided the kind of theater that none of us will soon, if ever, forget."

HICKS: "That is the kind of feat that just may never be surpassed and certainly one of the greatest feats of sports history."

GAINES: "The sport of swimming will never be the same. The name Michael Phelps will be synonymous with perfection."

MOUNTAIN & PACIFIC TIME ZONES RATE HIGH:
Through nine nights, the metered market averages (56 markets) for NBC's Beijing Olympics are a 19.3 rating/34 share.  Below is a breakdown by time zone:

Eastern Time Zone: 18.6/33
Central Time Zone: 19.4/33
Mountain Time Zone: 22.7/41
Pacific Time Zone: 20.3/39

TOP 20 METERED MARKETS THROUGH 9 DAYS:
1. Salt Lake City: 24.7/48
T2. Minneapolis: 24.5/45
T2. Denver:  24.5/45
4. Baltimore:  23.5/39
5. San Diego:  23.3/44
T6. Indianapolis: 22.8/40
T6. Oklahoma City: 22.8/36
8. Nashville:  22.6/36
9. Columbus:  22.4/39
10. West Palm Beach: 22.0/36
11. Phoenix:  21.0/39
12. Portland:  21.5/44
13. Sacramento: 21.4/40
14. St. Louis:  21.3/35
15. Austin:  21.1/36
16. Washington DC: 21.0/37
T17. Los Angeles: 20.5/38
T17. San Francisco: 20.5/42
19. Kansas City: 20.3/35
20. Louisville:  20.0/33

TAMI FOR FRIDAY: The TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index) measures 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 measurement through Friday, Aug. 15:

Friday, Aug. 15: 95.0 million
TV: 86.5 million, ONLINE: 7.9 million, MOBILE: 584k, TV VOD: n/a
Thursday, Aug. 14: 101.4 million
Wednesday, Aug. 13: 100.9 million
Tuesday, Aug. 12: 105.0 million
Monday, Aug. 11: 103.1 million
Sunday, Aug. 10: 113.0 million
Saturday, Aug. 9: 97.8 million
And if you notice, NBC is trying to prove a point with its mention of the ratings in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, despite criticism that it's showing tape delayed coverage in the West.