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[02/14/06 - 12:00 AM]
NBC Universal's Multi-Platform Olympics Strategy Proves Successful, 125 Million Watch Olympics on Networks of Nbcu

[via press release from NBC]

NBC UNIVERSAL'S MULTI-PLATFORM OLYMPICS STRATEGY PROVES SUCCESSFUL, 125 MILLION WATCH OLYMPICS ON NETWORKS OF NBCU

NBC UNIVERSAL'S MULTI-PLATFORM OLYMPICS STRATEGY PROVES SUCCESSFUL, 125 MILLION WATCH OLYMPICS ON NETWORKS OF NBCU

NBC Wins Week in Primetime for 1st Time Since Sept. 2004

Olympics Power NBCU: "Today" Ratings Up 60%, USA Network Ratings Jump 32%, "Weekend Nightly News" Enjoys 231% Lead Over ABC

TORINO, Italy - Feb. 14, 2006 - NBC's Monday night coverage of the Torino Winter Olympics drew a 12.8 household rating and 20 share, giving the network its fourth consecutive primetime win for the first time since Aug. 2004, beating CBS by 71 percent (7.5), and more than doubling the ratings for Fox (6.2) and ABC (6.2). Through Monday night, 125 million total viewers have watched the Olympics on the networks of NBC Universal. Powered by the Olympics, NBC wins the week in household ratings for the first time since Sept. 2004. Last night's primetime coverage (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) drew 21 million average viewers, doubling ABC and Fox and 84 percent higher than CBS in primetime (ABC, 9.1M; Fox, 10.2M; CBS, 11.4M).

"Our industry isn't just about network primetime anymore, and neither are the Olympics - they succeed across all platforms and dayparts of NBC Universal," said Randy Falco, President and COO, NBC Universal Television Group. "Even while our network primetime achieves its highest ratings in more than a year, we are taking advantage of the other ways that people consume media, reaching them on cable, the Internet and other new platforms. As our company has expanded, we have found new ways to reach our viewers. We are reassembling the audience."

- NBC NEWS: "Today's" advantage over "Good Morning America" is more than 60 percent greater than it was going into the Olympics, according to fast affiliate data (7-8:15 a.m.), and is averaging 6.5 million viewers (a 1.5 million advantage over GMA). The Brian Williams-anchored Saturday and Sunday editions of "Nightly News" delivered an astonishing 28.6 million total viewers. On Saturday, February 11, "Nightly News" attracted a staggering 12.514 million total viewers, 146% more (+7,425,000) than second place CBS' 5.089 million, and a 219% lead (+8,603, 000) over third place ABC's 3.911 million. This represents Saturday Nightly's best total viewer delivery since February 9, 2002 (Salt Lake City Olympics). On Sunday, February 12, "Nightly News'" numbers were even more impressive - averaging a whopping 16.117 million - the Sunday edition's best delivery ever. This represents a 231% lead (+11,253,00) over ABC's 4.864 million.

- SPORTS COMPARISON: The four-night average rating of the Torino Winter Games on NBC (13.1/21) out-rates both the four game average of the 2005 World Series (11.1/19, +18%) and the average rating of the first four games of the 2005 NBA Finals (7.1/13, +85%) respectively.

- DEMO VICTORY: With only three days of Olympics coverage, this was still NBC's highest-scoring week in adults 18-49 and total viewers since the week of Aug. 23-30, 2004 (the 2004 Athens Summer Games). This was NBC's top in-season week in adults 18-49 since the week of May 3-9, 2004 ("Friends" finale) and in total viewers since the week of Feb. 18-24, 2002 (the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games).

- USA NETWORK: USA Network's Olympics coverage, featuring "Olympic Ice," the first Olympic program dedicated solely to figure skating, and the U.S. women's hockey team's victories over Switzerland and Germany, resulted in a 32% boost in viewers to the network (1.93M this weekend vs. 1.46M in pre-Olympic 1Q).

- NBCOLYMPICS.COM: On Monday, NBCOlympics.com had its best day in the ten-year history of the web site, with more than 29 million page views, 42 percent higher than its previous record (20.6 million during the Athens Games on Aug 17, 2004). The top-searched Olympic athletes on NBCOlympics.com, powered by Google, were:

1. Shaun White

2. Michelle Kwan

3. Tanith Belbin

4. Sasha Cohen

5. Bode Miller.

The networks of NBC Universal, NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC HD and Universal HD will provide 418 total hours of coverage - including the most live coverage - across the most platforms of any Winter Olympics in history of the XX Olympic Winter Games from Torino, Italy, Feb. 10-26.





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