NBC: London Olympics Most-Watched TV Event in U.S. History

LONDON: With 219.4 million Americans tuning into NBCUniversal networks to watch the London Olympics, the Games set the record as the most-watched event in U.S. television history, according to new Nielsen data.

NBCUniversal presented 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels and the first-ever 3D platform. With 219.4 million viewers, the event topped the 2008 Beijing Olympics by 12 percent and the 2004 Athens Olympics by 26 percent.

The closing ceremony averaged 31 million viewers, making it the most-watched for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics in 36 years. NBC averaged 31.1 million viewers over 17 nights in prime time. The 17.5/30 national household rating over the 17 nights in prime time ties the 1988 Seoul Olympics as the highest-rated non-U.S. Summer Olympics since the 1976 Montreal Games.

Steve Burke, the CEO of NBCUniversal, commented: "The London Olympics was a wonderful 17 days for NBCUniversal, exceeding all our expectations in viewership, digital consumption and revenue. Every part of our company contributed to our success, once again showing how effective we can be when we all get together to support a large project. This was the first Olympic Games for Comcast and the new NBCUniversal, and the first in history in which every minute of every event was available live. We are proud to have been part of the last two weeks, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to our long run of Olympic Games through 2020."

Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports group chairman, added: "For 17 days, NBCUniversal has surrounded the American viewer with the London Olympics, which have now become the most-watched event in U.S. television history. There are thousands of dedicated and talented people in London and New York who take great pride in being part of these historic Games and this television milestone."