TV Ratings: Rio Olympics Hold Steady Thursday

August 19, 2016 8:53am PT by Kate Stanhope

Thursday's primate coverage drew 20.5 million viewers.

After taking a nose dive Wednesday, NBC's coverage of the Rio Olympics held steady Thursday thanks in part to one of the final races by Jamaican breakout Usain Bolt.

Thursday's primetime coverage, which included coverage of the men's 200m final for which Bolt won gold, nabbed a 14.8 overnight rating among households. Fast Affiliate scores give primetime coverage 20.5 million viewers and a 5.7 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC. 

Thursday's race marked Bolt's last ever appearance in an individual event at the Olympics. However, he will compete one more time Friday in the men's 4x100m relay.

With three nights left, the NBC-only coverage now stands at an average of 26.1 million viewers and a 14.3 household rating. Rio is still well behind the 2012 London Olympics, which were averaging more than 31 million viewers at this point in the Summer Games.