The 2014 Winter Olympics were among NBC's most successful when going beyond prime time ratings and accounting for its other sources of information (live streaming, radio, web site hits, etc.), the network announced yesterday, according to Newsday. Prime time television ratings were down from Vancouver in 2010, when its more convenient time zone allowed for live broadcasts, but up from the 2006 games in Turino, Italy -- another European location that forced tape-delayed showings.

Most media outlets and casual observers tend to neglect NBC's other forms of coverage, which isn't fair or accurate, according to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group.

Helping NBC:

Brain rest for "The Mentalist" and others: For those wondering what happened to CBS' "The Mentalist," and other favorite shows, rival networks elected to observe the Olympics rather than compete with them. In other years, this wasn't always the case, according to Newsday.

Vladimir Putin, Russia: Turin had little to no intrigue leading up to its 2006 games. Vancouver's was based mostly on its proximity. Russia and its controversial president, Vladimir Putin, entered its Olympic term as a hot button issue on its own via the Syrian crisis. Adding to that were its anti-gay laws, controversial spending plans, Vladimir Putin the character (he was once accused of trying to steal the Super Bowl ring of Patriots owner Robert Kraft), Twitter-buzzing athlete accommodations (the stray dogs, the odd toilets, the bugs in food, the yogurt ban, etc.), and, to wrap it up, a rather smoothly run two-week event. Russia managed to prevent larger controversy, while letting small ones turn to near affectionate imperfections of a country Americans (or at least me) aren't exactly sure how to consider.

Tonight Show/Jimmy Fallon: During the last week of the Olympics, CBS garnered its highest "Tonight Show" ratings since 1993 when it coincided with the series finale of "Cheers", proving that shows can boost sporting programs and vice-versa ("Cheers," like the Olympics, was also on NBC). Perhaps because they had the "Tonight Show" to look forward to, viewers stayed up later to watch the Olympics -- and perhaps because people were staying up later to watch the Olympics, they tuned into Jimmy Fallon's debut (another factor that helped drive both programs).

Hurting NBC:

Tape-delayed shows: This one's obvious. What isn't obvious is what websites and other news sources like ESPN should do about it. Do they suppress breaking news? I think they should, and there should be only one legitimate website where people can get Olympic results before they debut on TV.

Lack of American star power: The United States had a solid Winter Olympics (2nd in the medal count) backed by a solid team, but their biggest stars (Shani Davis, Shaun White, among others) didn't perform, which may have increased viewship for other events. More of a factor was the lack of new American stars. We only really gained Mikaela Shiffrin as a personality to follow for the next games. In the process we likely lost Shani Davis and Bode Miller, while Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn are old hat. Who's going to be the next Apolo Anton Ohno? We could also use a premier female figure skater.