NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Media analysts say NBC's lofty ratings from the Summer Olympics included a solid performance among younger viewers in the United States.
More than 210 million viewers have tuned in to watch at least some of the games with an average U.S. prime-time audience of approximately 32 million per night.
The viewership had an old-school flavor to it. The Los Angeles Times noted Saturday that many consumers who own digital recorders were watching live, including the commercials. There were also plenty of younger fans watching the telecasts instead of their laptops and smart phones.
"It has been very surprising that the audience levels have been up double digits compared to Beijing (in 2008) in every major demographic target, despite the fact that most people already knew the event results when they sat down to watch," said Miraj Parikh, director of investment at the advertising firm Spark.
Analysts said social media's roll in the games was also a surprise.
It was considered a possibility that social media would provide the results in real time and discourage people from watching the delayed prime-time telecasts. But social media appears to be actually encouraging interested fans to tune in.
"More people think of television now as a shared cultural experience," said Kirsten Atkinson, media director for the ad agency Team One. "It's another way for them to feel like they are participants, and that's exciting."
