Olympics audience huge for NBC, cable networks

Besides being a ratings success on its own, NBC says its coverage of the Athens Olympics has been boosting viewership for its cable networks — sometimes in startling numbers.

CNBC, MSNBC, USA and Bravo saw a total of 62 million people tune in at some point during the first 11 days of the Olympics, compared to 38 million for the same 11 days a month earlier, according to Nielsen Media Research. Coverage of Olympics events has been divided among the various channels.

“Our plan worked,” said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. “The strategy coming into the games was to use all of our platforms to aggregate the largest possible audience and then to promote across all platforms.”

One fear of network executives was that all the Olympics coverage on cable might lessen the appetite for NBC’s prime-time telecast, but that proved not to be the case.

NBC attracted more viewers last week than its five major broadcast competitors combined, according to Nielsen. Of the top 10 programs, seven were Olympics telecasts.

The highest-rated was on Aug. 19, when gymnast Carly Patterson became the first U.S. woman to win the all-around since Mary Lou Retton in 1984. Slightly more than 31.7 million people tuned in that night, giving NBC a 32 percent share of the TV audience.

The electrifying freestyle relay in which American swimmers narrowly beat the Australians was the week’s second most-watched night with an audience of 30.1 million and a 30 share.

Gymnast Paul Hamm’s unprecedented U.S. victory in the men’s all-around competition, which came after judges incorrectly scored a South Korean in one event, drew 28.4 million viewers and a 29 share.