NBC is becoming the broadcast network for sports, at least during February. The network, running away with ratings for the Winter Olympics, saw the highest viewership in the history of the Daytona 500 with Sunday’s broadcast.
NBC had a 10.9 rating/26 share for the 44th running of Daytona, the network’s first broadcast of the race, with 35 million viewers watching all or part of a race that included an 18-car pileup and Ward Burton as the winner.
The rating was the best performance in the race’s 24-year live broadcast history and the best rating for any auto race since 1984’s Indianapolis 500. Last year on Fox, the race drew 32 million viewers.
With the race, then NBC’s broadcast of a Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trailblazers game and day 10 of the Olympics, the network claimed 88 million viewers for the broadcast day.
NBC’s 10-day nightly average for the 2002 Winter Olympics equals an 18.3 national household rating/29 share, 10 percent more than CBS’ 1998 Winter Olympics 10-day average of 16.6/27, according to Nielsen Media Research.