NBC Olympics Viewership Rises Sunday From Opening Ceremony, Airs To More Than Double The Viewers Of Other Networks Combined

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt won key demographics during the two weeks of the network’s Olympics coverage, while World News Tonight with David Muir continued its streak atop total viewers.

Viewership for NBC’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics continued to fall as Thursday evening delivered both the lowest-rated and least-watched day. Per overnight numbers, NBC’s Thursday night coverage aired to 10.4 million viewers and earned a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demo. Thursday’s numbers fell below last Friday and last Saturday, which first marked the showings with the  smallest audience and lowest ratings, respectively.

NBC’s Tuesday evening coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw Simone Biles, who withdrew from the women’s all-around, return to win a bronze medal on the balance beam. Biles’ return to the podium marked another win for the U.S. team, but failed to bring viewership and ratings to new levels. In overnight ratings, NBC’s evening programing aired to 14.6 million viewers and gained a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demo.

UPDATED, 3:52 PM: NBC’s Tokyo Olympics primetime coverage netted around 10.5 million linear viewers on Friday, the smallest audience of the games for the network so far. Over the same night of the Rio Olympics, NBC’s primetime viewership was down 56%.

World class gymnasts including the United States’ very own Suni Lee weren’t the only ones bouncing up Thursday night as NBC’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw a slight increase in viewership and ratings.

NBC’s clutch on primetime remains steady with the coverage of the 2020 Olympics, but the network took its first, though minor, hit in viewers Monday night.

Olympics, NBC Universal is still waiting.For three straight nights, viewership for the Tokyo Games has been down more than 30% compared to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, and the network has been hit by a steady stream of bad news regarding American competitors.The Nielsen company said 16.9 million people watched Sunday night's coverage on NBC, down 43% from the corresponding night in Rio.

Reuters), saying the image, "hurt the dignity and emotions of the Chinese people." "We urge NBC to recognise [sic] the serious nature of this problem and take measures to correct the error," the Chinese consulate continued, though it did not specify why it objected to the map. Reuters notes that China's state-controlled Global Times also criticized the map as seen during the Opening Ceremony.

The primetime ratings for the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics aren’t modeling the Games’ time-honored motto. They’re not being delivered faster, and they certainly aren’t stronger or higher.

Pita Taufatofua became a viral sensation at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics when he put his shirtless and oiled-up body on display during the opening ceremony.

tennis legend Naomi Osaka lighting the torch to kick off the Games, Tonga's oiled-up flagbearer, Pita Taufatofua, once again becoming a trending topic on social media and first lady Jill Biden cheering on the U.S.A.

, Osaka opened up further about her decision to remove herself from the Grand Slam tournaments.  “Athletes are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course, there are commitments off the court that coincide," she wrote in July.

making headlines in Rio in 2016 and again at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in 2018, Pita Taufatofua brought the heat as Team Tonga took center stage during the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics Friday.

Jill Biden is in Tokyo for the Olympics, attending the opening ceremony and meeting with other leaders from around the world as the head of the U.S. delegation.  The first lady's trip is continuing as planned, despite the dozens of COVID-19 cases linked to the games.

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Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Japan, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially began on Friday (July 23). During the Opening Ceremony, the gathered athletes were treated to a virtual performance by a range of international singers.

the Tokyo Olympics are finally underway. After being postponed over 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics took place on Friday morning at Olympic Stadium in the host city. The ceremony marked the formal beginning of the Games, which will last from July 23 through Aug.