The wheels have pretty much come off the Olympic cart in Russia. Saturday night was even worse than Friday’s disaster, a preliminary 4.3 adult 18-49 rating from 8:30-11:00 pm Saturday night (assuming the first half hour is excluded from the nightly average as is common on Saturday). This is two full rating points behind the same night in Turin in 2006 (6.3 rating) and three points below the same night in Vancouver 2010 (7.4 rating). Last night included: Women’s Super-G, Men’s 1000m Short Track, Men’s 1500m Speed Skating, Men’s Skeleton and Men’s Large Hill Ski Jump.
Although Team USA is currently tied for 2nd place in total medals in Sochi, the Americans are in 6th place in gold medals, which really drive viewing and interest in the Olympics on US television. But making matters worse: many of the American athletes are not at all gracious in defeat. It’s not a pretty picture, and the audience is saying they have had enough.
Through Saturday night, Sochi is averaging a 6.2 rating for all primetime telecasts to date, now two tenths behind Turin (6.4) and a full rating point behind Vancouver (7.2). Probably more declines to come.
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