Network TV programmers are heavily influenced by Nielsen ratings because they drive advertising dollars.  A poor rating can be a death sentence for a broadcast TV show---case in point, the recent cancellation of Harry, the Harry Connick Jr. daytime talk show that was axed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution after only two seasons.

This, in spite of the fact that Connick, a phenomenally successful musician, had snagged Emmy nominations. His ratings were simply too soft- on the first season the show garnered a mere 1.4  household rating in the metered markets (that measure if anyone in the household is watching) and a 0.7 rating in the women  25-54 demographic. Translation: on average, not enough people watched to keep Harry on the air.

Last Thursday night, Feb. 22, there was an 8 percent increase in Nielsen ratings for the Olympics. The sports show suffered from low viewership for the previous 13 days. Finally, women’s figure skating offered NBC its ratings victory on Thursday.

Two spectacular women Russian athletes, Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, provided a nail-biting conclusion for the Gold medal performance. Alina Zagitova, the 15-year-old, won over her 18-year-old friend. They competed as a neutral “Olympic athletes from Russia” due to the semantic banning of Russia in the Olympics for operating a doping scheme at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

However, one hundred sixty-nine Russian athletes were still allowed to compete in the S. Korean games. Ratings were up 12 percent overnight, when the U-S East Coast stayed up late to watch the 2 Russians weave their magic over the ice. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-figure-skating-brings-olympic-uptick-1087891

A significant change over the past few years is that streaming and digital feeds are now included in Nielsen ratings.  There had been criticism that the Nielsen rating system was outdated because newer technology was excluded in ratings.

Today, many people watch programs on smartphones, DVR’s , tablets and internet streaming services as opposed to the ‘old-fashioned’ TV set in the living room. In June 2006, Nielsen upgraded its ratings’ system to include all types of media viewing in its ratings stats.

Regardless of how the Olympics is viewed or rated, coverage of the events, in my opinion, is still exciting and inspiring. Just think of the effort, grit and determination that goes into winning a medal—and it’s nice to see people from all over the world getting along, even for a short moment in time.

In the words of Helen Keller "When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life or in the life of another." https://www.thoughtco.com/helen-keller-quotes-2832699