The ratings dip is not surprising--almost all live events are down compared to years past, including the Superbowl. NBC is still counting these Olympics as win--lots of viewers checked out the games on streaming platforms, and NBC was also dealing with a new crop of hosts and reality show competition from ABC and CBS. Plus, Netflix and Hulu are always there as a potential source of distraction. Even if ratings continue to fall for these big live events, the networks still depend on them for the revenue from ad sales. That's true for the upcoming Oscars on ABC, where Jimmy Kimmel is hosting again, and ratings will almost surely be down, though some viewers might check in to see how Kimmel addresses last year's envelope snafu in his opening monologue.
KCRW
