Friday's Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympic games in London was quite popular here in the United States. So popular, in fact, that it drew the highest rating ever in the United States -- for a non-US Olympic games, at least.
23.0/40 Overnight for Opening Ceremony on NBC best for a non-US Olympics ever; up 7% from Beijing (21.5), 28% from Athens (18.0). #Olympics
— NBCSportsPR (@NBCSportsPR) July 28, 2012
That's quite the jump in popularity in just eight years, as the London Opening Ceremony rated 28% higher than the Athens Opening Ceremony.
Unfortunately, the event was aired on tape delay by NBC in the United States, as the network did everything they could to milk primetime ratings across the country.
Regardless, the interest in the Opening Ceremony bodes well for NBC throughout the next two weeks, as the Olympics are sure to generate more interest this year than they have in years past -- as evidenced by the ratings last night.
For the latest news on the Olympics, be sure to check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub throughout the next two weeks.