The 2006 Olympics Winter Games was the least-watched Winter Olympics since at least 1988, it was reported Tuesday.
Nielsen Media Research said an average 20.2 million viewers watched NBC's prime time coverage, with Thursday night's women's figure skating finals drawing the biggest number, 25.7 million viewers, USA Today reported.
Sunday night's closing ceremony garnered the lowest number of viewers, with 14 million people tuning in, half the number registered for ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" finale.
Analysts said because of taped coverage many viewers already knew the outcome of events shown in prime time. They said the lack of viewer interest on a shortage of emerging stars,good programming on competing networks and a possible overkill by NBC, running coverage across all of its cable outlets as well as the main broadcast network, USA Today said.
Viewers chose programs such as "American Idol," "Grey's Anatomy," "Dancing with the Stars," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Survivor" and even a "CSI" rerun over the Winter Games.
Despite the lower numbers, NBC still won most nights with its Olympic coverage, USA Today noted.
"You still are getting a very large audience," Interpublic Media's Stacey Lynn Koerner told the newspaper. "It's not as if it's not an event simply because ratings aren't as high as they used to be."
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
