Following the first four nights of competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics, NBC is slated for the lowest-rated Winter Games in history. NBC, USA Network, and Peacock averaged 12.8 million viewers on Friday night, down tremendously from the 27.8 million average four years ago for the event in South Korea’s Pyeongchang.
Viewership for the opening ceremony in Beijing hit a record low of eight million, less than the nine million during the closing ceremony at the Tokyo Games.
Viewership increased for weekend nights, 13.6 million on Saturday and 13.7 million Sunday, but the ratings are still more than half of those for Pyeongchang.
The drop in viewership may be accounted for due to COVID-19 and lockdowns in hosting cities, and testing that has eliminated some athletes from competition. While attendance at events is limited to invited guests.
The strain in relations between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as in the realms of economics, politics, and human rights, may further contribute to the ratings.
Viewership may not improve as more stories come out regarding quarantined Olympians, as reported on Epoch TV’s China in Focus Monday night. Olympians in quarantine have reported losing weight due to lack of proper food, sleeping in fear, and lack of trust in COVID testing.
The CCP has also taken advantage of the event to push a political agenda as seen with Muslim Uyghur, Su Bingtian, carrying the Olympic torch during opening ceremonies.
