For CBS, Good Events Mean Good Numbers

The most exciting night of coverage resulted in CBS earning its second-best rating thus far.

Live coverage of the men’s downhill and taped men’s figure skating got a 19.3 rating and a 30 share Thursday night, second only to the 20.0 on Sunday night.

It was the first time CBS beat the ratings from either of the previous two Olympics. CBS was 0.5% higher than the 19.2 in 1992 but 26.3% lower than the 26.2 in 1994.

Through Thursday night’s coverage, CBS was averaging a 16.8 rating and a 27 share. That is 32% lower than the 24.7 at this point in Lillehammer and 12% lower than the 19.1 from Albertville.

TNT’s ratings, while behind 1994, continue to rise, getting a 1.4 Thursday afternoon, 36.4% off the 2.2 from 1994. The show from Lillehammer featured live coverage of the U.S. hockey team.