As ratings slip, NBC will turn profit

NBC says it will turn a profit on the Pyeongchang Olympics, and said it will hit the ratings guarantees it promised to advertisers, an important financial barometer.

Through Thursday, NBC had averaged 20.6 million viewers in prime time for the network, the NBCSN cable network and streaming services. That’s down 8 percent from the Sochi Olympics in 2014, when the broadcast network was the only prime-time option (viewership on NBC alone is down 18 percent).

Young viewers are slipping away faster, and a Seton Hall University poll found people aged 18-to-29 were nearly as likely to stream the Olympics on their devices as watch on TV.

No one likes to see ratings go down. But because of how streaming services have changed viewing behavior since 2014, programs with a bigger audience than four years ago are rare. For two weeks, NBC routinely had more viewers than ABC, CBS and Fox combined.

“We were a little bit surprised that it started out as strong as it did,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Sports Group. “It will end up about where we thought it would.”

IOC on reinstating Russia: Nyet

The International Olympic Committee on Sunday upheld the ban of Russia from the Winter Games because of doping, denying the 168 athletes competing here as “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” including the gold medal-winning men’s hockey team, the right to march in the closing ceremony under their country’s flag.

North Korea remaining in dark

While millions of people around the world get ready to watch the closing ceremony, North Koreans are still waiting to see the first event.

The virtual blackout is a telling contrast with how North Korea’s made-for-the-cameras delegation at the games, replete with hundreds of cheerleaders and even one of the country’s most popular singers, was a big hit with the South Korean media and some of the games’ hottest Internet clickbait.

North Korea’s state-run media has never been especially devoted to covering international news events. Their job is more about hailing Kim Jong Un and whatever the ruling regime’s latest propaganda message might be.

On that front they have stayed true to form: The only reports from Pyeongchang as of Saturday were about the visit of Kim’s younger sister and North Korea’s nominal head of state to attend the opening ceremony.

Canadian trio held for taking car

South Korean police detained a Canadian ski cross competitor, his wife and a coach for allegedly taking a car during the games.

Police on Saturday said the three allegedly got into a car in front of a bar and drove it to near the Pyeongchang athletes village before they were detained by police on patrol.

Police say all three were intoxicated when they were stopped. The three, who were not identified, remained in custody, but likely would be released if they pay a fine.