NBC goes for gold; predicts 19.5 prime time rating, up from last Olympics, but down from last U.S. showing in Los Angeles.(NBC Sports coverage of Atlanta Olympics)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, June, 1996 by McClellan, Steve

Predicts 19.5 prime time rating, up from last Olympics, but down from last U.S. showing in Los Angeles BC Sports President Dick Ebersol predicted last week that the Atlanta Olympics (July 19-Aug. 4) will average between an 18.5 and a 19.5 rating in prime time. By comparison, the Barcelona games four years ago averaged a 17.

The last U.S.-based summer games--in Los Angeles--averaged a little more than a 23 rating in prime time, but Ebersol said the growth of cable and other competing program services makes it unlikely that Atlanta will reach that level.

A number of production and scheduling Changes are being implemented for the Atlanta games. Perhaps the biggest is the use of fiber-optic links between New York and Atlanta, which has allowed the network...

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