February 17, 2022 By: Karl Wimer

Cartoon: NBC Olympics Ratings going downhill

‘NBC Ratings Downhill’

NBC predicted it themselves, but it still can’t be easy to swallow. Months ago they cut media rates for their advertising partners to reflect the lukewarm ratings in store for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

And now it’s real. The Olympics are headed for the worst viewership in history, with nearly half the rate of the last Winter Olympics, in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018.

The list is long for reasons why. The time difference is a big deal, as events held in the middle of the day (think nearly any sport held outside) in China are typically early morning in the U.S. Fans can watch it packaged up by NBC in prime-time stateside, but it’s not the same as witnessing events real time.

Some amount of boycotting via viewership because of ongoing behavior by the host country. The U.S. government made a point not to send diplomats to protest Chinese human rights abuses, among them the continued abuse and horrific treatment of millions of its Uyghur citizens. At the same time, serious rape and sexual assault charges by a top Chinese tennis player (and her subsequent disappearance, then reappearance) have been awkwardly managed through propaganda and the heavy hand of Chinese government.

Covid precautions have kept the often rowdy Olympic crowds to a minimum, thus dimming the fun and intensity the Games often deliver.

The U.S. Olympic Team started very slow, and saw many media favorites come up short in their competitions. The team did gain some momentum and moved up the medal ladder as the OIympics progressed, but probably too little, too late.

Russia continues to thumb its nose at much of the world with continual doping violations prior and during the Olympics. Although not allowed to wave their official flag or hear their anthem, they still go by the “Russian OIympic Committee” and many of their athletes (guilty of doping or not) will take medals away from athletes who don’t have the benefit of state-sponsored cheating. It’s the fourth Olympics in the row they’ve competed under the dark cloud of full violation of International Olympic Rules. Add a fresh scandal with their top female figure skater failing a doping test, with the result essentially brushed aside. Money, threats and influence clearly can change punishments when it comes to the Russian situation, and plenty of folks don’t like watching rigged events.

Olympics burnout also most likely doesn’t help, as this one comes only six months after the Japan-held Summer Games. And finally, ratings will never be the same as online streaming, media fragmentation and younger viewership behavior has changed the landscape dramatically.

But there’s always the Super Bowl! NBC cleaned up with a very solid Rams-Bengals clash this past Sunday and can bask in that glory as the Olympics wind down with a potential late bump tied to strong U.S. men’s and women’s ice hockey teams.