New York Times: NBC's Olympics Ratings are Worst Ever
Confirming our prediction, The New York Times reports that NBC's Sydney Olympic Games coverage is getting the worst ratings in U.S. broadcast history.
According to the article, "Many sports and television executives blamed the long delays
between the results, which are now widely reported on every
news media outlet and the Internet, and the coverage. 'Even
the morning papers are giving results,' said Barry Frank, the
senior group vice president of the International Management
Group, and a longtime negotiator of television rights for the
Olympics."
Just how bad are the ratings? Again, according to the article, "Monday's rating,
which the network had pointed to as one of its key nights
because of the men's team gymnastics event, fell to only a
13.8. The Olympics barely beat ABC's Monday Night
Football for the night, which had a 13.2 rating.... {During} the Seoul Games, the Olympics proved far more
potent against football, beating the two games on Monday
nights by 4 rating points one week and 6 the next."
NBC, stop trying to turn back the clock. Show the games in real time and let the chips fall where they may. You can still replay the popular events in prime time. Just don't lie to people.
The International Olympic Committee needs to understand what's happening to its broadcast revenue model in the United States, and adjust its plans accordingly.