NBC’s Winter Olympics Preview Night Fared Poorly in the Ratings

The pre-Opening Ceremony broadcast featured skiing and figure skating.

Fireworks erupt as the Olympic Cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.  (Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
Fireworks erupt as the Olympic Cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
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NBC’s pre-Opening Ceremony day of competition Thursday took a ratings nosedive compared to its 2014 counterpart, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Freestyle skiing and men’s figure skating served as the main events of Thursday’s coverage, which attracted 14.5 million viewers. Thursday’s numbers are a 26 percent decrease from Sochi’s pre-Opening Ceremony competition, which attracted five million more audience members. Friday night’s Opening Ceremony will be a better barometer for the Pyeongchang games, though NBC will be streaming the event, which began at 6 a.m.. eastern, online throughout Friday. Winter Olympics ratings tend to fluctuate dramatically cycle-to-cycle based on time zone and location.

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