Nielsen ratings: An Olympic sweep for NBC

By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

Posted August 7, 2012

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NBC's first week of Olympics coverage was powered by swimming and gymnastics. Pictured are Matt Grevers, Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian. (Credit: By Fabrice Coffrini, AFP/Getty Images)

NBC owned the ratings podium last week, taking the top seven spots and averaging 32.2 million viewers with its London Olympics coverage. It was NBC's top-scoring week in viewers and young adults since Salt Lake City in 2002. Over the first 10 nights, NBC averaged 33.6 million viewers, highest for a non-U.S. Summer Games since 1976.

In other news behind the numbers:

•Cable power. Top cable series held up relatively well during the Games. Only CBS' NCIS (6.8 million) and 60 Minutes (6.4 million) reruns finished ahead of a new Closer on TNT (Monday, 5.8 million) in non-Olympic programming. HBO's True Blood (Sunday, 4.5 million), TNT's Rizzoli & Isles (Tuesday, 4.4 million) and USA's Burn Notice (Thursday, 4.3 million) all would have made broadcast TV's top 25.

•Comings and goings. Animal Planet's Off the Hook: Extreme Catches attracted 571,000 and 606,000 viewers for preview episodes Monday on Discovery; ABC Family's Jane By Design (season finale, 1.2 million Tuesday); Comedy Central's Tosh.0 (1.8 million) and Workaholics (1.3 million, both summer finales Tuesday).

•Milestone. Lifetime's Army Wives drew 2.8 million viewers for its 100th episode on Sunday.