NBC wins election night ratings war

NBC News says it was the most-watched U.S. broadcast or cable television network for prime-time coverage of the 2012 presidential election. Democratic President Barack Obama beat Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term. Nielsen Media Research's fast program ratings showed the 8-11 p.m. hours of the NBC broadcast, anchored by Brian Williams, drew an average of 12.12 million viewers and averaged 5.77 million viewers in the 25-54 age bracket. "Democracy Plaza at NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters [in New York] served as a stunning backdrop for the broadcast, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the public spaces," the network said in a news release. "Election results were displayed in real time as states on the U.S. map on the rink turned red or blue, and banners representing electoral votes rose up the front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza toward 270. NBC News was also the first news organization to call the race for President Barack Obama, thanks to careful data analysis by the NBC News Decision Desk."