TV Ratings: Olympics Set Record Lows For NBC

NBC’s Mike Tirico began Friday’s opening ceremony by saying, “just over six months ago in Tokyo, we said we were about to embark on an Olympics unlike any other. Now we’re about to top that.”

In the case of ratings, though, topping that has meant producing record lows.

Through the first four nights of competition, NBC is on track for the lowest-rated Winter Games in history. Friday night’s coverage on NBC, USA Network and Peacock averaged 12.8 million viewers, significantly down from the 27.8 million average in PyeongChang four years ago.

Thursday night’s audience of eight million marks the smallest primetime Olympics audience on record, surpassing the nine million that tuned in for the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Games.

NBC saw a steady increase in viewers Saturday and Sunday night, but the ratings are down more than half compared to PyeongChang. Preliminary figures from Saturday show 13.6 million, and 13.7 million from Sunday.

The numbers are stark but not a surprise. Strained relations between the United States and China due to economic and human rights issues, another Olympics held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lack of buzz coming into the Games have been significant factors.

📺Top 20 Prime-Time Shows (Total Viewers)

1. Winter Olympics (Sunday), NBC, 11 million.

2. Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, NBC, 10.76 million.

3. Winter Olympics (Saturday), NBC, 10.15 million.

4. Winter Olympics (Thursday, 8-8:30 p.m.), NBC, 8.1 million.

5. “FBI,” CBS, 7.54 million.

6. Winter Olympics (Thursday, 8:30-11 p.m.), NBC, 7.26 million.

7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.43 million.

8. “FBI: International,” CBS, 6.27 million.

9. “911: Lone Star,” Fox, 6.01 million.

10. “FBI: Most Wanted,” CBS, 5.94 million.

11. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 4.86 million.

12. “This is Us,” NBC, 4.54 million.

13. “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.44 million.

14. Auto Racing: NASCAR Busch Light Clash, Fox, 4.28 million.

15. “Celebrating Betty White,” NBC, 4.27 million.

16. “The Neighborhood,” CBS, 4.25 million.

17. “Ghosts,” CBS, 4.22 million.

18. “NCIS,” CBS, 4.11 million.

19. “Judge Steve Harvey,” ABC, 4 million.

20. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Monday), Fox News, 3.82 million.

📺EVENING NEWS:

According to TV Newser, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir finished the week of Jan. 31, 2022 as the No. 1 evening newscast, both in total viewers (averaging 9.2 million) and among adults 25-54 (averaging 1.74 million).

ABC’s evening newscast has now defeated its competition from NBC and CBS 166 of the past 167 weeks in average total viewers—and 95 of the last 97 weeks among adults 25-54. Season to date, World News Tonight is No. 1 in Total Viewers for the 6th consecutive year—based on Most Current Data—and No. 1 among adults 25-54 (1. million) for the 3rd season in a row.

World News Tonight grew +2% in total viewers, and +7% in adults 25-54 from the prior week (Jan. 24). Compared with the same week in 2021 (Feb. 1 ’21), the trend was worse, with World News Tonight losing -6% in average total audience and -10% among adults 25-54.

📺LATE NIGHT:

Fox News’ late-night program Gutfeld! had its most-watched week of the year, averaging 2.05 million total viewers and 357,000 adults 25-54.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN (w/permission)

📺CABLE TV:

Fox News Channel and USA split the basic cable Nielsen ratings race this past week, with FNC averaging the largest total audience in primetime and total day, and USA hauling in the most adults 25-54 in primetime and total day.

According to TV Newser citing Nielsen live-plus-same-day data for the week of Jan. 31, 2022, Fox News averaged 2.52 million total viewers in primetime, which is No. 1 on basic cable and +3% from the previous week. FNC averaged 395,000 adults 25-54 in primetime, which is +1% from the week prior and No. 3 on all of basic cable behind USA (536,000) and ESPN (441,000).

Graphics courtesy of RoadMN (w/permission)

Fox News’ audience has returned in full force after those Q1 ’21 struggles. Compared to the year-ago week. when Fox News finished No. 3 in total day viewers, Fox grew by +21%. The network also shot up +7% in total primetime viewers, +12% in the primetime demo, and +22% in the total day demo. MSNBC shed -49% in total day viewers and -45% in total primetime viewers from the comparable week in 2021. CNN fell more than its competition when it came to total day viewers (-63%) and total primetime viewers (-69%), the primetime demo (-72%) and total day demo (-70%). CNN was delivering network-record ratings at this time in 2021, achieving a No. 1 ranking on basic cable among adults 25-54 during the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Not so much anymore.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN (w/permission)

On the programming front, week No. 2 of Jesse Watters Primetime averaged 3.06 million viewers and 469,000 A25-54, making it the No. 3 program in cable news yet again, behind  The Five (3.625 million total viewers/517,000 adults 25-54), and Tucker Carlson Tonight (3.61 million/593,000 adults 25-54).  Hannity (2.95 million) finished No. 4 followed by Special Report with Bret Baier (2.53 million). Fox News’ late-night program Gutfeld! had its most-watched week of the year, averaging 2.05 million total viewers and 357,000 adults 25-54.