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NBC Olympics Tuesday total audience delivery registers Rio-best 36.1 million primetime viewers

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Wed, Aug 10th 2016 05:45 pm

More than 880 million live streaming minutes to date for Rio Games on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app exceeds full London Olympics

NBC Olympics' exclusive and unprecedented multi-platform coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics continues to dominate the competition.

The total audience delivery for Tuesday's primetime coverage averaged a 20.5 household rating with 36.1 million viewers - ranking as the best night of the 2016 Rio Olympics in both metrics.

Also on Tuesday, live streaming for the Rio Olympics via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app surpassed the entire London Games. Through last night, viewers streamed 883 million live minutes of the 2016 Rio Olympics, up 245 percent from the opening Tuesday in 2012. There were 818 million live streaming minutes for the full London Olympics.

NBC Olympics' total audience delivery measures broader Rio Olympics consumption by calculating average minute viewing across broadcast, cable and digital.

The 2016 Rio Olympics is the first in U.S. media history with primetime Olympic coverage on channels other than the primary broadcast network. It is also the first time the broadcast network coverage, including primetime, has been streamed simultaneously on digital platforms. 

NBC Olympics coverage on other channels and digital streaming has lifted primetime viewership by at least 7 percent each night (chart below):

 

After five days, the NBC-only average primetime viewership (28.6 million viewers) and household rating (15.6) have respective 297 percent and 218 percent advantages over ABC, CBS and FOX combined - the second-largest Summer Games advantage on record (behind only the London Olympics), according to national data from The Nielsen Company.

Among adults 18-49, NBC's five-night 8.4 primetime rating in the demographic tops by 500 percent the other broadcast networks combined (1.4 on ABC, CBS and FOX) - the largest advantage in the first five days of any Olympics.

Last night's NBC-only Rio Olympics coverage (8-11:44 p.m. ET/PT) averaged 33.4 million viewers - the highest NBC primetime viewership of the Rio Olympics. In addition, the telecast, which featured Michael Phelps capturing his record 20th and 21st career gold medals, Katie Ledecky earning her second gold medal of the Rio Games, and Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team's dominant gold-medal performance, posted a Rio-best 18.9/33 household rating.

Also on Tuesday night, NBCSN's live Olympic competition coverage averaged 1.9 million viewers, while Bravo's live primetime Olympic tennis coverage averaged 414,000 viewers. The NBCSN telecast featured the second half of the U.S Women's Soccer match, while Serena Williams lost her third-round singles match on Bravo.

Additional NBC Olympics metrics:

•On NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, more than 1.3 million unique users streamed the women's gymnastics team final (3-6 p.m.) - featuring the U.S. team's dominant victory - to rank as NBC Olympics' best-ever Summer Games stream.

•The U.S. Women's Soccer team's 2-2 draw with Colombia averaged 3.6 million viewers on NBCSN - topping each of the team's games at the London Olympics, with the exception of the gold-medal final.

•CNBC averaged 779,000 viewers from 5-8 p.m. - up 66 percent from the comparable day in London. Coverage featured rugby, beach volleyball and table tennis.

•MSNBC averaged 474,000 viewers for its coverage of water polo, handball and table tennis from noon-5 p.m. - up 59 percent from last year.

•Tuesday's Olympic coverage on the networks of NBCUniversal was watched by 89.2 million viewers (30.1 percent of the U.S. population) in 51.4 million homes (44.2 percent of U.S. TV households). 

Through the first four nights of competition, total audience delivery for Rio 2016 and the 2012 London Olympics:

 

*NOTE: The 2012 London Olympics had no simultaneous live streaming and no competing primetime Olympic cable coverage. 

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