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London Olympics 2012: The Most-Watched Event In U.S. Television History, According To NBC

Much was made about NBC's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as people all over the place complained of the tape delays as well as what many feel was lackluster coverage of some facets of the games. However, it didn't stop people from watching, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell. Nearly 220 million Americans tuned in to watch their fellow countrymen dominate the 2012 games over the past couple of weeks, which made the Olympics the most-watched television event in U.S. television history.

On a nightly basis, top trending topics on Twitter -- and every other social networking site known to man -- included the words "tape delay," as NBC decided to air most of the events in slots aimed to attract the most viewers, rather than when the events actually took place. Despite all of the complaining, the proof is now in the pudding -- NBC's strategy worked better than they ever could have hoped, based on the ratings.

Fans were treated to some fantastic moments, as the U.S. men's and women's basketball teams both won gold, as did the U.S. women's soccer team. In addition, Michael Phelps continued his capped off his amazing gold-studded Olympic run, and Usain Bolt captured the attention of everyone with his jaw-dropping performances. From the looks of things, there aren't a whole lot of people who won't remember where they were when all of the above events unfolded.

Stay with this StoryStream for more London coverage, and head over to SB Nation's Olympic hub for more analysis on the 2012 Summer Games.