Viewer’s Guide

Carl Lewis’ fourth consecutive Olympic long jump gold medal and Michael Johnson’s 400-meter gold medal, along with Shannon Miller’s gold medal on the balance beam, helped NBC attract the largest audience so far during the Atlanta Olympics.

With a national rating of 26.4 and a 47% share of the audience for Monday night’s prime-time segment, NBC estimates the viewing audience at 103.1 million people. The previous night had a viewing audience of 102.9 million.

The prime-time national average through 11 nights is a 22.8 rating and 43 share. At the same juncture at Barcelona four years ago, the average was an 18.4 with a 35 share.

The Los Angeles rating for Monday night was a 32.6 with a 53 share, ranking sixth among the nation’s largest markets.

In the demographic category of women 24-54, Monday night drew a 19.9 rating compared to an 11.2 for the same night four years ago. That’s a 78% increase.