Olympics pulls impressive ratings for NBC
In the end, NBC's coverage of the Vancouver Games concluded much asit began: climbing significantly compared with the Peacock'sperformance during the Turin Games in 2006 but ranking lower thanother modern Winter Olympics.
Through 17 nights of coverage, NBC averaged 24.4 million viewers anight, up 21% from 2006. Sunday's Closing Ceremony performed evenmore impressively compared with Turin, drawing 21.4 millionviewers, up 45%.
Despite the impressive numbers, NBC's ratings over the next fewdays, now that the Olympic torch has been snuffed, will helpdetermine the Games' future on the network.
Still, limiting the comparisons to Turin isn't really fair.
In 1994, the Winter Games in Lillehammer (43.2 million viewers)averaged nearly double the Vancouver Games. In 2002, Salt Lake City(32 million) also averaged significantly higher viewership, withNagano in 1998 (25.1 million) running about the same.
A key point of context from NBC's perspective is that whenLillehammer aired, there were only about 40 channels of TVcompetition, and the numbers were boosted by the TonyaHarding-Nancy Kerrigan skating scandal.
NBC preferred a different ratings benchmark -- the size of theaudience that sampled the Games. by this Nielsen standard, whichcounts the number of viewers who tuned in for at least six minutes,Lillehammer still ruled with 204 million viewers but was followedright behind by Vancouver at 190 million.
"It's important to note how truly dominant our performance isbecause of the many choices available in the world today," saidDick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics."Today the average home has 130 channels, more than three times1994, plus the Internet then was still in its infancy. What makesour performance here even more impressive in this age of so manychoices on so many media platforms is the fact that we areaveraging more than 2 million more viewers each night than theother three networks combined."
Public and media reaction to the Games was positive overall. WithTeam USA topping the medal count and stars including Lindsey Vonn,Shaun White and Apolo Anton Ohno winning gold medals in suspensefulevents, plus the men's hockey showdown with Canada for gold Sunday,the Games didn't lack for drama.
The hockey game, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime, was themost-watched hockey game since the gold medal-clinching USA vs.Finland game in 1980, drawing 27.6 million viewers. In the GreatWhite North, about half of all Canadians tuned in (16.6 millionviewers).
The question moving forward is how much NBC will benefit from itscoverage, including its role as a launchpad for Jay Leno's returnto "The Tonight Show" and other primetime shows.
Certainly in terms of goodwill, NBC has won a gold. Whether theglossy ratings are enough to offset the Leno fiasco and theirsagging recent primetime performance, however, remains to beseen.
On Monday, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves predicted that NBC willkeep the Games in its wheelhouse despite it being a money-loser.
Speedskater Ohno will likely leave the ice once and for all
Vancouver, British Columbia » Fans have watched him race to victory, grapple with controversy, dance on television and set an American record for medals won at the Winter Olympics.
But the long and wild ride appears set to come to an end tonight for Apolo Anton Ohno.
The superstar short-track speedskater, who already has set an American record with seven career medals at the Winter Games, takes to the ice one last time at the Vancouver Olympics tonight in the men's 500 meters and the 5,000-meter relay. it probably will be his final competition; he has hinted strongly that he will retire after his third Olympics.
"I have a nice cake and it just keeps getting sweeter,
with more frosting," he said.
Ohno, who lives in South Jordan while training at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, is a strong medal contender in both events. He's the defending Olympic champion in the 500, and already has won a bronze medal in the 1,000 meters that broke the American medal record.
"I've been blessed to stand on the podium many times," he said.
His story has been an inspiration.
Raised by his single father in Seattle, he found speedskating as a way to stay out of trouble. he quickly showed promise in the sport, but not the proper dedication. he failed to make the U.S. Olympic Team for the 1998 Nagano Games, a moment he has called "devastating" but ultimately crucial, because it motivated him to dig deeper and throw himself into training.
"Looking back," he said, "it was the best thing to have happened to me."
since then, it has been one success after another.
he won two medals at the 2002 Salt Lake Games -- including his first gold, in a race marred by controversy because the Korean skater who beat him was disqualified -- and three more four years later at the Turin Games. His count in Vancouver -- practically in the backyard of his hometown -- stands at two.
Along the way, Ohno also has won 23 medals at the world championships, and nudged himself into the mainstream with his commercial appeal and appearance on ABC-TV's "Dancing with the Stars." Lately, he has been working in his Salt Lake City office on launching a nutritional supplement company.
and he swears he appreciates it all, all the time.
"I've been celebrating internally by continually competing," he said. "I truly love what I do. I've poured everything I have into these Olympic Games. To me, it goes much, much deeper than just standing on the podium and smiling because you're happy. Every day I'm here, I feel like I'm celebrating."
West Jordan's Simon Cho also is entered in the 500, which will
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start tonight with the quarterfinals. Salt Lake City's J.R. Celski and West Jordan's Travis Jayner are expected to join Ohno in the relay finals, while Katherine Reutter, of Kearns, races the women's 1,000 meters, two nights after her unlikely bronze medal in the team relay.
mcl@sltrib.com
NAACP Image Awards honor Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry must be on top of the world. He's had quite a run these past few years as an actor and producer of films, TV shows and plays. He also is a pretty charitable guy. He has donated to organizations that help the homeless, has helped build churches and contributed $1 million to Haiti earthquake relief efforts. That's why he's the recipient of the Chairman's Award at tonight's awards ceremony. Wyclef Jean, who has tirelessly campaigned for assistance for his native Haiti, will get the Vanguard Award. the ceremony will be hosted by Anika Noni Rose, of "Dreamgirls" and "The Princess & the Frog," and Hill Harper of "CSI: new York." Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz, Mo'Nique and Morgan Freeman are scheduled to attend. Friday, 8 p.m. Fox
WINTER OLYMPICS: U.S. MEN'S HOCKEY
While people have been watching the Olympics in droves, NBC has received some criticism, particularly when it comes to broadcasting hockey. the major U.S.-Canada hockey game was televised Sunday on MSNBC, not NBC. Only the last minute of victory made it to NBC, which has millions more viewers. the network goofed again when it didn't run the U.S.-Switzerland game live Wednesday in the West Coast - the actual time zone the game was in. NBC is trying to make good today by airing the hockey semifinal with the United States vs. Finland in every time zones. the game starts Friday at 3 p.m. the United States will snag a medal if the team wins.
Jennifer Lopez is following in the footsteps of Justin Timberlake and will do double-duty as host and musical guest. this continues a run of high-profile gigs for Lopez. she is set to be a guest star on "How I Met Your Mother" on March 8, which reminds us that she actually does have a sense of humor. as for her singing career . well, Lopez is still good at pop, but her single "Louboutins" from her upcoming album did nothing for me. Saturday, 11:30 p.m.
Shaun White Heart Defect
Shaun White who is a championed the Halfpipe event in the winter Olympics being held in Vancouver this year had a congenial heart defect when he was born and it caused great concern to his parents who made him go through surgery twice just in his first year. The Shaun White heart defect of the congenial type was a defect in the structure of his heart which is found in newborns.
The Shaun White heart defect resulted in an impediment of his blood flow to his lungs. The Shaun White heart defect is labeled as Tetralogy of Fallot which implies that there were multiple abnormalities in his heart when he was born.
Though he may have been born to all this, it did not keep Shaun White from fulfilling his dreams of competing in the Halfpipe competitions. he is so in love with the sport that he even has his own Halfpipe in Colorado. Of course it wasn't paid for by him and what would the advantage be of being such a star athlete if your sponsors
didn't take care of you? Red Bull which is one of his greatest sponsors built him a Halfpipe in Colorado that is so remote that it can only be accessed by a helicopter. The Halfpipe that Red Bull gifted to him cost a total of five hundred thousand dollars to make and it is where he practices for his dare devil moves which has mastered by now. I can only assume that it is one of the reasons he was so far ahead of all the other competitors in this year's winter Olympics Halfpipe event.
Shaun White Heart Defect
