It has been well publicized in the media that ratings as a whole were down. The question at hand: Were these spoilers a factor or even the cause of these ratings decreases? It is possible that these might have turned some people away but unlikely the only factor. Many people were unhappy with the way NBC formatted its primetime, some blaming millennial’s (today’s top scapegoat for all problems) ever-changing media habits and overall impatience, others blame the commentators and of course people complained of “too many commercials”.

However, let’s be clear about something. The ratings, while slightly down on a national scale, were still VERY HIGH. During the week of August 8th, (the first week of the Olympics) they were the top-rated program with more than 20 million viewers every single night.

Even with viewership down, this was one of the most cost effective ways to reach a HUGE audience, which is harder and harder to find these days. After talking to several people, I realized that for the most part the spoilers didn’t stop people from watching. You might know that Michael Phelps was going to win his 400th medal or that the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team were going to be atop the highest podium but it doesn’t make the performance any less impressive to watch. Seeing Lilly King throw some serious shade at her Russian competition could not be truly enjoyed through a text notification from CNN or a Twitter update.

There are definite lessons to be learned from these Olympics:

• NBC needs to listen to any and all complaints and criticisms to be more prepared for Winter 2018 Olympics
• Media outlets need to get on board with the “SPOILER ALERT” headlines
• Viewers need to be prepared to go on a bit of a daytime media blackout if they are wanting to be surprised in the primetime viewing.

Everyone has until February 9th, 2018 to prepare. South Korea get your game face on!

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