TV Ratings: Rio Approaches London Numbers on Monday Night

August 09, 2016 8:19am PT by Michael O'Connell

NBC coverage rises to its Olympics 2016 high on Monday night.

Olympic ratings may be down from 2012, but they certainly are not out. Monday's primetime coverage reached a Rio high in overnight ratings.

Nielsen gives NBC's coverage a 19.2 rating among households. That's a 2016 Olympics high, better than the opening ceremony or the Sunday night spike.

Between 8 and 11 p.m. ET, Fast National ratings give NBC an average 28.8 million viewers. With final adjustments later on Tuesday afternoon, that number shouldn't be too far off from the comparable score four years ago. The 2012 Olympics averaged 31.6 million viewers during the extended primetime block of the third night of competition.

As it stands, Monday night is off by less than 10 percent — nominal considering the 30-percent-plus gap on Saturday. Thank more marquee events and 6 U.S. swimming medals for the increased audience. Prior to Monday night, Rio was pacing far lower than the London Olympic.

The Rio Games were also up among adults 18-49, averaging a 8.5 rating among adults 18-49.