NBC has asked Nielsen Media Research to stop reporting ratings for the 7:00-7:30 p.m. coverage of its Olympic Games coverage, the Washington Post reported today.

In an interview in Sydney, NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol told the Post that by adding the 7:00-7:30 coverage, the network was able to cover the additional costs to obtain broadcast rights beginning with the Atlanta games four years ago. But he said, although the additional half hour "helped us raise the money ... it didn't help us with the audience," which has tended to be far smaller during that time period than during the rest of the night.

Source: Studio Briefing