NBC calls London Olympics 'most-watched' TV event in U.S. history

Photo by Gregory Bull, Associated Press

U.S. gymnasts,from left, Jordyn Wieber, Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross raise their hands on the podium during the medal ceremony during the Artistic Gymnastic women's team final at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in London.

NEW YORK (AP) — NBCUniversal is calling the London Olympics "the most-watched television event in U.S. history."

Citing Nielsen Co. ratings figures, the company said Monday that more than 219 million viewers watched the Summer Games on NBC and numerous sister networks. This figure surpasses the 215 million who watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The company said NBC averaged a prime-time audience of 31 million, topping Summer Games viewerships in Beijing and in Athens in 2004.

Sunday's closing ceremony was seen by 31 million viewers.

Covering its 13th Olympics, NBCUniversal presented 5,535 hours of coverage across its TV and online channels.