Kim Yuna is a ratings queen

59 February 24, 2010February 24, 2010

by javabeans

Much has been made of the incredible pressure surrounding figure skater Kim Yuna‘s bid for an Olympic gold medal, and although the phrase “all eyes are on her” is usually just a figure of speech, with Yuna it’s pretty much true in a literal sense. The television broadcast for her short program performance on Tuesday (Wednesday, Korean time) drew in a whopping 42.5% ratings score (AGB Nielsen numbers) — and as if that number isn’t already pretty impressive, at its highest point the broadcast drew a 77.8% audience share (as in, nearly 80% of viewers watching television at that moment were watching that program).

Kim performed in the second-to-last flight, preceded directly by her biggest competitor Mao Asada. According to the ratings analysis, which can break down the trends by the minute, the five minutes that showcased Asada’s performance (from 12:54 pm to 12:59 pm) drew in a 37.1% rating, which translates to a 71.3% audience share. Kim’s portion, aired from 1:01 pm to 1:06 pm, rose to a 40.8% rating and 75.4% share. The numbers topped out as the competition ended.

A source with SBS, the broadcaster airing the Olympics, said, “At the Vancouver Olympics, interest is growing in our country, and in particular there’s explosive interest in figure skating star Kim Yuna, which we see in the ratings and audience shares.”

I know you can’t directly compare drama programming with non-scripted programming, but those are some impressive numbers and would be incredible even for top drama shows. Plus, dramas have the benefit of higher prime-time viewership to begin with. As the competition aired in the middle of the business workday — prompting much of the country to stop what they were doing to watch, including government meetings and political speeches — it makes the numbers even more remarkable.

With Kim putting in a nearly flawless performance with her killer Bond routine, leading Asada by nearly 5 points even though the latter landed a triple axel cleanly and also had a fabulous program, expect similarly high (or even higher) numbers tomorrow when they skate their long programs.

Via Star News

RELATED POSTS

Tags: Kim Yuna

Required fields are marked *

51 Queench

February 25, 2010 at 11:53 PM

WOW.! congratulations to Kim Yuna!! you are KIM POSSIBLE! wow.. well you really skate well.. you're not only a queen but you are the 'goddess of figure skating!'.

hmm well.. it's really hard to live where there's so much pressure that lies on your shoulders and a lot of expectations from your country.. whoa! you're such a strong-willed person!

though I'm not a Korean I absolutely salute you Kim Yuna!.. also to Mao Asada..

Required fields are marked *

52 belleza

February 26, 2010 at 1:04 AM

Thoughts on the LP

First of all, that was one of the strongest consecutive and compelling performances we've EVEr seen in Olympics female FS. You had . . .

1) First skater setting the all-time record
2) Next skater moving female figure skating forward
3) Next skater giving one of the bravest performances we've ever seen
4) Final skater -- following 3 strong performances -- finishing with her personal best performance and leapt to 4th

@Nagasu,

I liked Nagasu during last year's US championships, but she truly is the future of American female FS. But I do feel bad for her future -- she'll never be this carefree again once the Kwan-level expectations come back.

I wonder whether she'll compete in the Worlds this year; she'll probably medal.

@Joannie,

If you put aside the circumstances and just judge the performance on its own terms, this was the fiercest, most willful performance of the night. It was evocative, mature, but above all, it was athletic and strong.

@Mao,

For somebody who delivered a clean skate and set a new precedent with two triple axels . . . she looked so sad and defeated. She delivered a great performance, and it may be reconsider her range as an artist. (Though I was also thinking how I would have loved for Kim Yu-Na to do this program.) Mao's performance would have won Torino; her SP + LP combo might have won Salt Lake City. But, here in Vancouver, the competition was essentially over before she even got on the ice. There was no way. That look in her eyes said "what more can I do . . . and yet I still wasn't close"

I just feel in a way Mao Asada is going to be a sacrificial lamb. It was the heartbreaking moment of the night for me.

@Yu-Na,

Let put what Yu-Na did in perspective. Consider that Mao landed 2 triple axels in Olympics competition, which before this Olympics had never been done by any female figure skater. Consider the emotional triumph Joannie achieved.

Yet, Yu-Na still won by 18 points.

I'm not a big fan of her Gershwin program. It's not easy to connect with it, and the choreography is restless, searching, lacking in emotional foreplay. (Though the Gershin program features her skating speed.)

BUT, this, this performance of her Gershin program was EXTRAORDINARY. The jumps were textbook. She emoted more to the crowd than she did during her Bond Girl performance.. But the interpretation . . . OMG the quality of her interpretation, all the intricate detailing with her hands and edge work, was breathtaking. Her incredible speed. The pride and flowing power. All the beautiful, small stuff.

Required fields are marked *

53 Daniel

February 26, 2010 at 10:18 AM

hi-
what do you all think of this video I made about what it was like to watch kim yuna's gold medal performance??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljztNXMCmHw

daniel

Required fields are marked *

54 Lemonade

February 26, 2010 at 11:43 AM

She has a very lean body which helps her tremendously in all these jumps. Her body is quite in balance (where the curves are in the right places, and the length of her legs and arms are proportional). Her long arms would also keep her in balancing her out whenever she lands. And her age gives her more experience than the younger skaters. She seems to enjoy herself on stage rather than worrying about making points. Gracious!

Required fields are marked *

55 Andrew Sansone

February 26, 2010 at 8:21 PM

Kim was amazing and so was Rochette. Very inspirational! And they were Trending Topics on Twitter today! http://bit.ly/a9IaX7

Required fields are marked *

56 HANRING

April 9, 2012 at 8:26 AM

MAO ASADA IS WAY BETTER. THE JUDGES ARE NOT FAIR. KIM DID HORRIBLE

Required fields are marked *

57 Yu-Na

February 23, 2013 at 10:48 AM

I am in love with Kim Yu-Na. Yu-Na is the best skater I have ever seen and the only reason I watch ice skating at all, she is inspirational.
I started to build two websites to celebrate Kim Yuna
http://www.kimyuna.co.uk/ and http://www.kimyuna.co.uk/
She makes me tingle, wonderful to see Yuna back and on top form. I have not done much to the two sites for over a year, now have a reason to catch up.

Required fields are marked *

Yu-Na

February 23, 2013 at 11:04 AM

The two websites are :
http://www.kimyuna.co.uk/ and http://www.yunakim.co.uk/

Required fields are marked *

58 Yu-Na

February 23, 2013 at 11:06 AM

I
am in love with Kim Yu-Na. Yu-Na is the best skater I have ever seen
and the only reason I watch ice skating at all, she is inspirational.
I started to build two websites to celebrate Kim Yuna
http://www.kimyuna.co.uk/ and http://www.yunakim.co.uk/
She makes me tingle, wonderful to see Yuna back and on top form. I have
not done much to the two sites for over a year, now have a reason to
catch up.