Buffy, Angel Threaten Olympics

September 29 -- HOLLYWOOD (Variety) — So much for momentum.

After stringing together a pair of strong Olympics ratings performances, NBC's coverage of the Summer Games from Sydney, Australia, fell flat Tuesday night, logging the lowest rating for any night of the Summer Olympics since 1964 in Tokyo.

With track-and-field taking the night off and gymnastics exhibitions at center stage, Tuesday's coverage (7:30 p.m. to midnight) averaged a slim 12.4 rating and 21 share in homes and 18.63 million viewers, 11 percent lower than any other night of the Sydney Games.

From 8 to 9 p.m., a repeat episode of ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (15.47 million) came closer to the Olympics (18.12 million) than any primetime program since the Sydney Games began Sept. 15.

With five nights yet to be counted, these Games are averaging a 14.6 rating in homes — well behind both the network's projected 17.5 rating and its 16.1 guarantee to advertisers. Only the Opening Ceremony (16.2) has rated better than this guarantee.

In the key demographic of adults 18 to 49, Tuesday netted a 7.3 rating, leaving the Games at a 9 average, which is 38 percent behind the pace set in Atlanta four years ago (14.4) and 26 percent behind the 1992 Barcelona Games (12.2).

The Olympics also faced several first-run programs that figured to siphon off some of the Games' potential young-adult audience.

The season premiere of the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, for example, fared very well despite the stiff competition. Buffy hit an all-time high in men 18 to 34 (3.2/10), while Angel recorded its best marks yet in adults 18 to 34 (3.5/11), women 18 to 49 (3.3/8), and men 18 to 34 (3.3/10).

The drama combo lifted the WB to a second-place finish on the night (behind the Olympics) in women 18 to 34 (3.9/11). Compared with last season's openers — when the WB could still be seen on Chicago super-station WGN — Buffy was off by 15 percent in viewers (6.8 million vs. 5.8 million) and 3 percent in adults 18 to 49 (2.9 vs. 3.0). Angel was off by 19 percent in viewers (6.1 million vs. 7.5 million) and 6 percent in adults 18 to 49 (2.9 vs. 3.1).