While primetime TV ratings continue to suffer, sports programming across the US has seen significant growth over the past few months. Every major sporting event in the US over the past two months (The Kentucky Derby, The Belmont Stakes, The NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup Finals, The US Open Golf Championship) have enjoyed major successes.
The highly-anticipated Summer Olympics in Beijing should continue the trend. NBC will feature 1,400 hours of television coverage of the Summer Olympics with an additional 2,200 hours to be streamed online.
The growth in sports programming comes on the heels of a trying time for entertainment programming.