Olympics 2012: Record Number Of Viewers Watch London Games In Spite Of Tape Delay

Thirty-six million Americans watched the events on Sunday night. That's the most ever for the second night of Olympic competition that has taken place outside of the United States.

Day two saw a few surprises for the United States. France came from behind on the last leg of the men's 4x100 meter relay to beat Michael Phelps and Team USA. Defending world champion Jordyn Wieber also struggled, failing to make it to the finals of the women's gymnastics all-around event.

Through the first weekend, NBC averaged a 19.2 rating and 35.8 million viewers. That's the most viewers since the Olympics started being shown on television in 1960, when the Games were played in Rome.

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 30.6 million people witnessed the events of the first two days. The ratings increased by 17 percent from four years ago, according to The Sports Business Daily.

Monday's ratings were somewhat down compared to 2008. John Ourand reports that the 20.1 overnight rating was down from the 21.2 rating that NBC registered four years ago. The number is still up three percent from the 2004 Games in Athens.

The biggest complaint about the broadcast may be the way the network has utilized tape delay. The men's and women's swimming events, which have taken place during the afternoon, have been aired in primetime by NBC.

All of the results are posted on the internet prior to the events airing on American television. It's possible to watch every event live, as you can see a live stream online of each sport by clicking here.

With the popularity of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it can be difficult to avoid the results and watch the competitions at night, without knowing the results. NBC's strategy, however, has yet to backfire in terms of viewership.