Olympics Ratings Highest in Over a Decade

By Nicole Malczan

Although the Olympics only occur on a two-to-four-year basis, in the past that fact hasn’t exactly influenced viewership for the better. Afterall, numbers were in decline for the last winter games, held in Turin, Italy in 2006. However, according to the Huffington Post, the ratings for this year's Olympic games are definitely picking up. The opening ceremony scored ratings almost fifty percent higher than that of the 2006 games. This is also one of the strongest standings for an Olympic opening ceremony ever, with only the infamous 1994 Olympics outshining the current games.


However, with the games running for a week now, a ratings decline is probably expected at some point. On this past Tuesday, February 17th, it’s reported that American Idol beat out the Olympic games in terms of viewership for that evening.


While this is a minor setback, the strong appeal of the Olympics, even a week into the games, should still compel viewers and draw out some pretty high numbers as the games continue.