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Winter Olympics and February Ratings Sweeps: A Delicate Dance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Winter Olympics and the coveted February ratings sweeps period are about to intersect, with CBS' competitors already squirming in discomfort. As the traditional 28-day winter hype-fest begins, CBS is planning a whopping 128 hours of coverage over 16 days, starting with the opening ceremony in Nagano, Japan, on Friday night. Despite the US athletes' tendency to trail in winter events, the Olympics are guaranteed to deliver a February sweeps victory for CBS, their second in a row.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Winter Olympics are surprisingly popular among TV viewers, outpacing the Summer Games despite the US' relative underperformance in winter sports.
  • The showcase sport of figure skating, with US skaters Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, and Nicole Bobek vying for top spots, is expected to draw in a large audience.
  • CBS has secured the rights to broadcast 128 hours of Winter Olympics coverage over 16 days, starting with the opening ceremony on Friday night in Nagano, Japan.
  • Despite the lack of scandal, interest in this year's Olympics is high, with several US skaters having the potential to dominate the podium.
  • NBC, Fox, and ABC are poised to capitalize on the younger viewer demographic, with Fox targeting young men aggressively through reality-disaster specials, while NBC leans on theatrical movies and ABC emphasizes original programming.
  • ABC has secured several high-profile programming events in February, including a four-hour celebration of Motown Records, a benefit for the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and a Sesame Street anniversary celebration.
  • After the Olympics conclude, CBS will air the Grammys and a drama starring Jack Lemmon and Betty Garrett, while NBC will air a three-hour ice-skating special, "The Gold Champions."

Statistics:

  • 128 hours of Winter Olympics coverage are planned by CBS over 16 days [1]
  • The US won only 6, 11, and 13 medals at the Calgary, Albertville, and Lillehammer Winter Olympics, respectively [1]
  • The Winter Olympics' showcase sport, figure skating, has the potential to attract a massive audience, with several US skaters vying for the top spots [1]
  • NBC has secured the rights to broadcast the next five Olympics, starting in 2000 [1]

Sources:

  • [1] "The Winter Olympics are really, really popular with TV viewers—MORE popular than the Summer Games, in spite of the fact that the U.S. excels at summer sports and tends to trail in winter events. " - CBS competitor ["Olympics are about to collide with February sweeps; CBS musters more coverage," by Mike Hale, Variety]

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