TV ratings: Olympics win, ‘Super Fun Night’ finale down
Viewership for NBC’s prime time Winter Olympics coverage on Wednesday -- featuring figure skating and U.S. skier Ted Ligety’s gold medal run -- was virtually flat with the comparable night in 2010, according to early numbers from Nielsen.
The Sochi Games drew an average audience of 20.1 million, compared with the 20.3 million who tuned into the second Wednesday of the Vancouver Games four years ago.
However, NBC’s night was down from 2010 in the advertiser-preferred 18-49 age group. Among the key young adults, the Games scored a 5.0, representing a 9% drop. It was still the night’s top-rated network.
Prime time TV ratings for the Sochi Games have been generally down from Vancouver, which probably benefited from live coverage and a North American host city.
Ligety won his second Olympic gold medal, living up to his status as the favorite in the giant-slalom event. He first struck gold at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, in the super-combined competition.
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On Fox’s “American Idol,” the Top 10 male competitors performed, with ratings that were virtually flat with Tuesday’s all-girls round, but down week-to-week. “Idol” drew 9.9 million viewers, up 2% from the previous night, and a 2.6 in the key demo, down 4% sequentially.
Compared with last week, “Idol’s” first-ever Rush Week has posted lower numbers. Last night’s episode was down 24% in the demo compared with last Wedensday. Thursday night’s “Idol” will reveal the results of the two performance rounds.
CBS braved the Olympics with new episodes of “Criminal Minds” and “C.S.I.” “Criminal Minds” drew a 2.4 in 18-49, down 14% from its last original outing at the beginning of this month, which “C.S.I.” returned steady with a 2.0.
“Super Fun Night’s” season ended on a low note. The freshman Rebel Wilson comedy on ABC earned a 0.9 in 18-49 with its finale, its lowest rating ever.
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