The week of February 16, 2026 was dominated by the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics coverage on NBC and associated networks (including USA Network for some events), which significantly impacted primetime ratings across broadcast and cable. NBC's primetime Olympics broadcasts averaged around 1.0-1.3 in the key 18-49 demographic on various nights, with total viewers often in the 7-10 million range for prime events, making it the top performer overall.
This was part of NBCUniversal's "Legendary February" lineup, contributing to high overall viewership for the Games (the most-watched Winter Olympics since 2014).
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| Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN |
Regular scripted programming on the major broadcast networks was limited or preempted on several nights due to Olympics coverage, leading many networks (especially CBS) to air repeats or lower-rated originals.
- NBC: Led the week thanks to the Winter Olympics. Primetime Olympics averaged strong numbers, e.g.:Monday (2/16): Olympics at 1.24 (down from prior), ~9.03 million viewers.
- Other nights saw similar or higher averages (e.g., around 1.10-1.45 on some days), with events like the Closing Ceremony contributing to massive reach.
- Olympics coverage topped cable alternatives like USA Network's simulcasts (averaging ~0.36 in 18-49, 1.73 million viewers on some nights).
- ABC: Mixed performance with some originals holding steady or rising amid competition.
Overall weaker month for CBS in primetime (lowest February since 2000 in some metrics), with limited originals.
- Monday: American Idol at 0.41 (down slightly), The Rookie at 0.22 (up).
- Friday: 20/20 jumped to 0.32; Stumble hit a series high.
- World News Tonight (evening news) led broadcast/cable non-sports with ~8.87 million viewers for the week.
- Relied heavily on repeats due to Olympics preemptions elsewhere.Monday: Repeats of Survivor and FBI at 0.14 each.
Fox: Some gains in originals, Monday: Extracted surged to 0.22 (up significantly). Other programming like college basketball or specials in lower ranges.
The CW and others trailed significantly (e.g., low 0.0x ratings for shows like Wild Cards).
- USA Network: Strong with Olympics simulcasts/overflow, topping sports/entertainment cable at times (~1.7 million primetime average early in the period).
- ESPN: College basketball games performed well (e.g., 0.23-0.29 in 18-49 on some nights, up to millions in viewers for top matchups like Duke vs. Michigan).
- Fox News: Continued strong in cable news (e.g., primetime shows like Jesse Watters Primetime at 0.15, 2.87-3.30 million viewers), leading cable news overall.
- Other cable highlights included NBA on ESPN (~0.29, 1.09 million) and various news/sports.