Through 11 days, NBC’s Olympic coverage has reached 200 million people and more than 83 percent of all U.S. television homes. It has also delivered the most dominant margins of victory for any network in any primetime week in the history of Nielsen’s People Meter sample, which dates back 21 years to September 1987.

Through just 11 days, the networks of NBC Universal already have reached 200 million total viewers, 12 million more than the first 11 days for Athens (188 million) and 4 million more than the Atlanta Games (196 million), which was the most-viewed television event in U.S. history. The 11-day total for these Games makes it the fourth most-viewed television event in U.S. history. Additionally, 94 million of the of the nation’s 112.8 million television homes (83 percent) have tuned into the Olympics.

MOST VIEWED EVENTS IN U.S. TV HISTORY:

1. 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, 209 million (17 days)

2. 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, 204 million (16 days)

3. 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, 203 million (17 days)

4. *2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, 200 million (*through 11 days)

5. 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, 194 million (17 days)

For the week of August 11-17, NBC generated more than four times the household rating of the No. 2 network, and more than five times the total viewers of the No. 2 network to claim the biggest week-long wins in those categories for any network since Nielsen initiated its current People Meter sample in September 1987.

According to data provided by Nielsen Media Research, NBC averaged 28.7 million viewers overall and a 16.8 rating/28 share in households for the primetime week of August 11-17. Those averages were strong enough to deliver record margins over the week’s No. 2 finishes of 463 percent in total viewers (28.7 million vs. CBS’s 5.1 million) and 394 percent in households (16.8 vs. CBS’s 3.4).

NBC also beat the combined ABC-CBS-Fox results in these categories and again by margins that are the biggest for any network in People Meter history, 143 percent in total viewers (28.7 million vs. 11.8 million) and 113 percent in household rating (16.8 vs. 7.9).

Below is the Total Audience Measurement Index measurement through Sunday, Aug. 17

Sunday, Aug. 17: 107.2 million

Saturday, Aug. 16: 107.9 million

Friday, Aug. 15: 95.0 million

Thursday, Aug. 14: 101.4 million

Wednesday, Aug. 13: 100.9 million

Tuesday, Aug. 12: 105.0 million

Monday, Aug. 11: 103.1 million

Sunday, Aug. 10: 113.0 million

Saturday, Aug. 9: 97.8 million

Friday, Aug. 8: 74.6 million

Learn more about Asian Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

200 Million Americans watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics