Prime-time viewership for the first six nights of the Winter Games is down 36 per cent from Salt Lake City in 2002, 17 per cent from Nagano in 1998 and 44 per cent from Lillehammer in 1994.
With fans being able to follow the action online, the six-to-nine-hour time difference between Italy and the USA means many already know the results well before NBC goes on the air.
Another factor is thought to be the level of counterprogramming. USA TODAY reports that on Wednesday, Fox's 'American Idol' averaged 31.1 million viewers to the Games' 15.4 million from 8:30 to 9pm. And ABC's hit drama 'Lost' was almost even with the Olympics at 9pm.
However, traffic at NBC's Olympics website doubled over the weekend, and CNBC's and MSNBC's coverage of the Games, often of minor events, is pulling in far more viewers than the cable networks' usual fare.
NBC, which has invested more than $700million in rights fees and production costs to televise the events from Torino, still expects to turn in a profit of at least $50million.
