The prime time portion of the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics averaged a stunning 12.4 rating with Adults 18-49, blowing away last year’s 10.3 rating from Beijing (which was very good for an Olympics not hosted by the United States). The half-hour ratings for the prime time portion of the telecast showed solid interest in the Danny Boyle-produced part of the Ceremony and then some fall-off during the parade of nations: 8:00 (12.2), 8:30 (13.3), 9:00 (13.3), 9:30 (12.3), 10:00 (11.7), 10:30 (11.8).
When the 7:30 half hour and the 11 pm hour are factored in, the 12.4 rating should drop somewhat but it will remain a cause for celebration at NBC, which has come to rely on its Sports division to draw audiences to prime time. The ultimate number will also exceed our 10.5 rating forecast by a comfortable margin.
The preliminary results are listed in the table below and will be updated as more refined numbers come in.
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