Today is the first day of the Rio Summer Olympics. I can’t wait to see my favorite sports, gymnastics and swimming. It’s always a treat to see these great athletes in action!

I know many of you will also be watching the games, because they are always a big TV ratings draw. In fact, according to The Nielsen Company, these are the top 10 most watched events in U.S. television history:

  1. London Olympics (2012): 219.4 million
  2. Beijing Olympics (2008): 215 million
  3. Atlanta Olympics (1996): 209 million
  4. Lillehammer Olympics (2004): 203 million
  5. Athens Olympics (2004): 203 million
  6. Seoul Olympics (1988): 194 million
  7. Barcelona Olympics (1992): 192 million
  8. Vancouver Olympics (2010): 190 million
  9. Salt Lake City Olympics (2002): 187 million
  10. Sydney Olympics (2000): 185 million

This year’s Olympics will be hard to miss: I’ve read that the networks and digital platforms of NBCUniversal will broadcast 6,755 hours of Olympic programming. Of that, 2.084 hours will be broadcast on NBC’s various TV networks. NBC itself will broadcast 260.5 hours.

So take some time out of your busy day and make sure to root for the USA!

Have a great day.