London Olympics on NBC Average 31.1 Million Viewers; Best for Non-US Summer Games in 36 Years

Through 16 days, the London Olympics has averaged 31.1 million viewers in primetime, making it the most-watched non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

· The 16-day average primetime viewership of 31.1 million is up 12% from the first 16 nights from the 2008 Beijing Olympics (27.7 million) and up 25% from the first 16 nights from the 2004 Athens Olympics (24.9 million).

· The 16-night average household rating of 17.6/30 is 9% higher than the first 16 nights from Beijing (16.2/28), and 16% higher than the first 16 nights from Athens (15.2/27), the last European Summer Olympics.

Last night’s primetime coverage of the London Olympics on NBC drew an average of 21.8 million viewers, the most-watched final Saturday of competition for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics since 1988 (Seoul). Last night marked the 15th time in 16 nights that the average viewership for the London Olympics surpassed the Beijing Olympics.

Last night’s average viewership of 21.8 million topped the comparable night from the Beijing Olympics by 30% (16.8 million) and the Athens Olympics by 21% (18.0 million).

· The 30% margin over Beijing last night marked the biggest viewership advantage for of any night of the London Olympics vs. Beijing.

Last night’s primetime coverage on NBC (9-11:25 p.m. ET/PT) earned a 12.6/23 national rating/share, the highest-rated final Saturday night of competition for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics since 1992 (Barcelona). The 12.6 rating is 22% higher than the comparable night from Beijing (10.3/19), and 14% higher than the comparable night from Athens (11.1/21), the last European Olympics.

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, go to NBCOlympics.com.