Michael Phelps Special Draws Big Ratings, Olympics Win Night

“America’s Golden Champion” had one last run as a ratings champion Sunday–Michael Phelps’ NBC special scored an impressive 5.9 adults 18-49 rating and 20.47 million as the lead-in to the tape-delayed broadcast of the day’s athletic events.

Phelps was a consistent ratings juggernaut as a competitor in the Olympics, and his send-off, announced less than 24 hours prior to its airing, indeed capitalized on his popularity with Olympics viewers.

The actual Olympics broadcast easily won the night, scoring a 10.5 rating and 32.1 million viewers in the fast national ratings. Those numbers only cover the broadcast through 11PM, so a slight adjustment is expected in Sunday’s final ratings report.

Built notably around the Men’s 100M final and McKayla Maroney’s surprisingly-unsuccessful attempt to win Gold in the Women’s Vault competition, this Sunday’s broadcast was up from the corresponding night in 2008 but down from last Sunday’s showing.

Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002. Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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Brian Cantor