VIEWER’S GUIDE

With only exhibition gymnastics to show on Wednesday night, the national rating for NBC’s prime-time coverage took a slight dip to 19.8 with a 38% share of the audience.

That’s still 25% higher than the 15.8/31 for Barcelona four years ago, but below the average of 22.5/42 for the first 13 prime-time telecasts. The average at Barcelona at the same juncture was 17.9/34.

The prime-time numbers for Los Angeles on Wednesday night were a 25.0 with a 43, ranking fifth among the nation’s largest markets.

In addition to prime time, all other day segments are getting higher ratings than Barcelona did. The late-night coverage is averaging a 6.8/27, up 31% from a 5.2/27. Weekday telecasts have been getting a 6.9/24, up 30% from a 5.3/25.

In the demographic group of women 18-34, the average rating so far is a 14.3, up 32% from Barcelona’s 10.8. In women 25-54, the increase is 25%, from a 13.0 to a 16.3.