By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --NBC finished the Pyeongchang Olympics by averaging just under 20 million viewers with its primetime coverage on the network, NBCSN cable and live streaming, which was a 7 percent decline from the Winter Olympics of 2014.
The Nielsen company said that the NBC-only average in primetime was 17.8 million, or a 17 percent decline from Sochi. In 2014, NBC only offered prime-time coverage on the network, and did not have simultaneous programming on cable and online.
NBC said the viewership helped make the Olympics profitable. Viewership started out stronger than executives expected at the beginning of the Olympics and faded toward the end.
One growth area in Pyeongchang was in the late-night time period. Because of the time difference, post-11:30 p.m. was filled with live competition. NBC’s late-night show averaged 8.4 million viewers, up from 5.6 million in Sochi and more than any other Winter Olympics since 1988.
In a reflection of how traditional television viewership is changing, NBC said the prime-time Olympic coverage throughout the Olympics (19.8 million) essentially doubled the viewership of ABC, CBS and Fox combined during that period. The Olympics dominated TV: No other program beat it in the ratings while the games were on. In contrast, during the 2006 Olympics, the games were the night’s top-rated program on only eight of 17 nights.
NBC averaged 14.2 million viewers for the week. CBS had 4.8 million, ABC had 3.5 million, Fox had 2 million, Univision had 1.8 million, ION Television had 1.5 million, Telemundo had 1.2 million and the CW had 840,000.
Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.23 million viewers in prime time. MSNBC had 1.74 million, NBCSN had 1.68 million, USA had 1.4 million and AMC had 1.39 million.
While the “Today” show bathed in the Olympic glow to beat its morning rivals, the opposite thing happened in the evening. NBC’s “Nightly News” was broadcast in the mid-afternoon on the West Coast because of the Olympics, and it led to that broadcast being crushed by ABC. ABC’s “World News Tonight” averaged 9.3 million viewers, “Nightly News” had 8.3 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6.6 million.
Below are primetime viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Feb. 19-25. Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.
1. Winter Olympics (Tuesday), NBC, 17.53 million.
2. Winter Olympics (Monday), NBC, 16.37 million.
3. Winter Olympics (Thursday), NBC, 15.24 million.
4. Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony, NBC, 14.78 million.
5. Winter Olympics (Wednesday), NBC, 14.17 million.
6. Winter Olympics (Friday), NBC, 12.9 million.
7. Winter Olympics (Saturday, 9-10 p.m.), NBC, 11.69 million.
8. Winter Olympics Gala (Saturday, 10-11 p.m.), NBC, 10.85 million.
9. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 8.33 million.
10. “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 8.28 million.
11. “The Big Bang Theory” (Thursday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 7.91 million.
12. “NCIS,” CBS, 7.2 million.
13. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 7.04 million.
14. “Pyeongchang Gold,” NBC, 6.98 million.
15. “The Big Bang Theory” (Thursday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 6.36 million.
16. “The Bachelor,” ABC, 6.29 million.
17. “A.P. Bio,” NBC, 5.89 million.
18. “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 5.54 million.
19. “Bull,” CBS, 5.48 million.
20. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 5.31 million.
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.; CBS is a division of CBS Corp.; Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox; NBC is owned by NBC Universal.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More