Olympics Burn Brightly for WNBC Atop the Weekly Ratings
The London Olympics easily won the week for WNBC, despite the flood of complaints the network received about its handling of the prime time, tape-delayed coverage.
The seven days included in the weekly survey by Nielsen, earned the Top 7 spots, blowing away the competition in the process.
Proving the popularity of women’s gymnastics, the number one Olympics installment was last Thursday night. American Gabby Douglas became the first African-American gold medalist in the All-Around, and an estimated 2.5 million WNBC viewers watched with an impressive 12.9 rating.
Hardly a drop-off on the other nights, as Tuesday, July 31 yielded 2.4 million viewers and a 12.5 rating.
In the remaining positions, prime time coverage hosted by Bob Costas, averaged more than 1.9 million viewers and a 9.9 rating.
More from the Top 10 after the jump
- New York TV ratings. Week of August 5:
| Finish | Show | Network | Viewers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | 60 Minutes | WCBS | 573K | 2.9 |
| 9th | True Blood | HBO | 526K | 2.7 |
| 10th | La Que No Podia Amar | WXTV/Channel 41 | 448K | 2.3 |
WABC/Channel 7 made its only appearance in the 19th-place tie with America’s Funniest Videos (331,000/1.7).
WNYW/Channel 5 was shut out of the entire Top 30, while VH1 made a rare visit at number 14 with Love & Hip Hop (353,000/1.8).
