Games broadcasts deliver big victory in ratings

Wed., Aug. 18, 2004

Frazier Moore Associated Press

NBC took ratings gold, attracting big prime-time audiences for its first three nights of Olympics coverage.

Sunday’s 4 1/2 -hour broadcast was last week’s most-watched show, winning NBC a huge audience of 25.8 million viewers and a 26 percent share of all the evening’s viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Friday’s opening ceremony was a close second with 25.4 million viewers — though that was down 8 percent from the opening ceremonies in Sydney in 2000 — and Saturday’s coverage was third with 19.8 million viewers. But forecasts of sparse attendance have so far proven true, with the early rounds Saturday and Sunday punctuated by embarrassing shots of gymnasts and swimmers competing before endless rows of nearly vacant stands.

After the Olympics, the week was largely business as usual, packed with reruns and unscripted-reality shows.

A repeat of “Everybody Loves Raymond” was the top scripted show, with 11.8 million viewers. In the reality category, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” finale ranked a healthy 18th place with 8.8 million viewers.

For the week, NBC was the clear winner, averaging 15.1 million viewers (9.2 rating, 16 share).

Far behind were CBS, with 7.7 million viewers (5.1 rating, 9 share); ABC, 6.2 million (4.1 million, 7 share); Fox, 4.7 million (3.1 rating, 5 share); UPN, 2.5 million (1.7 rating, 3 share); and the WB, 2.5 million (1.7 rating, 3 share).

A ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 108.4 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

The top 10 shows for the week ending Sunday: Summer Olympics (Sunday), NBC, 25.8 million viewers; Summer Olympics (Opening Ceremony), NBC, 25.4 million; Summer Olympics (Saturday), NBC, 19.8 million; “Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS, 11.8 million; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 11.5 million; “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC, 11.1 million; “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 10.9 million; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 10.8 million; AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game: Denver vs. Washington, ABC, 10.8 million; “Without a Trace,” CBS, 10.7 million.

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