Big Games lift for NBC Sports Network

Tired of reading about the Olympics yet?

Here’s one last tidbit. Of all the platforms where the Games were broadcast, the one that benefitted most may have been NBC Sports Network.

The channel, which has gone through several rebrands over recent years, saw tremendous ratings gains during the 16-day Olympics, which concluded on Sunday.

NBCSN’s live Sochi viewership was up every single day compared to its 2102 coverage of the London Games, which is impressive. Summer Games tend to draw much stronger numbers overall than the winter ones.

NBCSN averaged 1.6 million total viewers from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily during the Games, up 134 percent over the network’s 692,000 average during the London, according to Nielsen.

The Sochi Games also lifted NBCSN to its 10 biggest weekday audiences ever, as well as its five best weekend daytime viewership totals.

Friday’s semifinal hockey game between the U.S. and Canada became the highest-rated hockey game in network history, posting a 2.7 household rating.

That outdrew even the Stanley Cup playoff and finals games that have aired on NBCSN since 2006.

The U.S. men’s overtime thriller against Russia, where the Americans won in a shootout, peaked with 6.4 million viewers from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 15, becoming the most-watched 30 minutes in network history.

So what’s the significance, now that the Games are over? Well, NBCSN stands to gain on three measures.

First, it established itself firmly as the network for hockey. NBCSN also carries the NHL. The league has made a ratings comeback over the past five years, and the Olympics tied NBCSN further to hockey.

Second, the network had a chance to promote its Premier League Soccer coverage, a new addition this season. NBCSN pushed the games hard during Olympic commercial breaks.

And third, NBCU raised awareness of the channel generally. During the London Games, NBCU had only recently taken oversight of NBCSN, then called Versus, after being acquired by Comcast. This year NBCU had a chance to tie NBCSN back to parent NBC, and that could pay off in a longer-term ratings bump for the network.

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In cable ratings for the week ended Feb. 23:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): AMC, TBS, USA, Adult Swim, TNT.

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, Disney Channel, TBS, AMC, History.

Top five cable news networks in primetime (25-54): Fox News Channel, MSNBC, HLN, CNN, CNBC, Al Jazeera America, FBN.

Top five cable news programs (total viewers): 1. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Monday, 8 p.m.); 2. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Wednesday, 8 p.m.); 3. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Thursday, 8 p.m.); 4. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Tuesday, 8 p.m.); 5. Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (Friday, 8 p.m.).

Top movie (18-49s): Disney Channel’s “Finding Nemo” (Monday, 10:15 a.m.) 1.18 million.

Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “College Basketball: Syracuse/Duke” (Saturday, 6:56 p.m.) 4.16 million.

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (Sunday, 8 and 9 p.m.); AMC’s “Talking Dead” (10:01 p.m.); TNT’s “NBA Basketball: Miami/Oklahoma City” (Thursday, 8:15 p.m.); A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” (Wednesday, 10 p.m.); Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Sunday, 8 p.m.).

Show on the rise: ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” Tuesday, 8 p.m. The drama averaged 1.00 million viewers 18-49, up 18 percent from 851,000 the previous week.

Show on the decline: History’s “Pawn Stars,” Thursday, 9:30 p.m. The reality show averaged 1.44 million viewers 18-49, off 13 percent from the prior week’s 1.65 million.

Tags: cable, cable recap, games, nbc sports network, nbcsn, olympic ratings, olympics