In the nearly 50 years of televised Olympics, NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony in Beijing was the most viewed ever for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics with nearly 70 million total viewers, 14 million more than Athens (56 million).
The Opening Ceremony earned an 18.6/33 national rating for an increase of 27 percent over Athens in 2004 (14.6/27), and averaged 34.2 million viewers, nearly nine million more than Athens (25.4 million). NBC’s Opening Ceremony 18.6/33 household rating is the highest rated Opening Ceremony for a non-domestic Summer Olympics ever, surpassing the 1960 Rome Games on CBS that delivered an 18.1/36, a record that stood for 48 years, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"The Olympic Opening Ceremony captivated the American public in unprecedented numbers for a non-U.S. Olympics," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. "It was a magical and memorable spectacle and a great way to start the Beijing Olympics."
Additionally, NBCOlympics.com saw its most traffic ever on Friday with 70 million page views, 10 times more than the seven million page views on the opening day of the Athens Games.
NON-U.S. OPENING CEREMONY TOTAL AUDIENCE:
1) Beijing – 2008 – 69.9 million
T2) Athens – 2004 – 56.0 million
T2) Sydney – 2000 – 56.0 million
4) Seoul – 1988 – 51.2 million
5) Barcelona – 1992 – 50.2 million
-Opening Ceremony in Atlanta had a total viewership of 77.0 million; Total viewership data did not exist for Los Angeles in 1984
NON-U.S. OPENING CEREMONY AVERAGE AUDIENCE:
1) Beijing – 2008 – 34.2 million
2) Sydney – 2000 – 27.3 million
3) Athens – 2004 – 25.4 million
4) Seoul – 1988 – 22.7 million
5) Barcelona – 1992 – 21.6 million
-Opening Ceremony in Atlanta had an average viewership of 39.8 million; Average viewership data did not exist for Los Angeles in 1984
NON-U.S. OPENING CEREMONY NATIONAL RATINGS:
1) Beijing – 2008 – 18.6/33
2) Rome – 1960 – 18.1/36
3) Sydney – 2000 – 16.2/29
4) Seoul – 1988 – 15.2/29
5) Athens – 2004 – 14.6/27
6) Barcelona – 1992 – 13.8/29
-Opening Ceremony in Atlanta in 1996 earned a 23.6/45; Los Angeles in 1984 earned a 23.9/48
