Apples and oranges, perhaps. But it has to taste like lemons to NBC and local affiliate Channel 4, which also has a considerable stake in how widely watched the Sydney Games ultimately are. Through Monday's fourth Olympics night, Channel 4 was averaging just a 13.1 rating and 12 share for NBC's prime-time Olympics package. Four years ago from Atlanta, Channel 4 was blessed with a 26.6 rating and monstrous 46 share after four nights.
Share is percentage of sets in use tuned to that program.
Channel 7 program director Marla Drutz said she sensed beforehand that NBC and WDIV were in for an Olympics ratings dip. But she's surprised by the plummet. Primarily, Drutz blames the fact that these Summer Games flirt with fall, rather than beginning in late July, as at Atlanta and Barcelona. It was a time of year when it was easier to capture mass attention. The ABC telecast delivered a 15.9 rating and 24 share for Channel 7.