Disappointing TV Ratings for NBC’s Olympic Coverage

The Pyeongchang games are yet to live up to their ratings potential.

Nathan Chen of the United States competes during the Men's Single Free Program on day eight of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 17, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea.  (Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
Nathan Chen of the United States competes during the Men's Single Free Program on day eight of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 17, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. (Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
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Friday night’s NBC Olympic coverage took a hit in the ratings, marking another reason for concern about a Winter Olympics that’s down eight percent from the 2014 Sochi games, according to Deadline. Although American Nathan Chen offered a coverage highlight when he completed a record five clean quadruple jumps in the men’s figure skating event, NBC’s Friday numbers were equivalent to the network’s Valentine’s Day viewership, the previous ratings-low for this year’s games. NBC has taken a multi-platform approach to its Pyeongchang coverage, airing events on both its main channel and on NBC Sports Network. Although NBC is likely disappointed by the 19.2 million viewers it attracted during primetime Friday night, its coverage did top the comparable night in Sochi.

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