The third night of Olympic coverage is off only 17 percent from the comparable coverage four years ago — a best for Rio.

After two nights of significant ratings drops from the most recent Summer Olympics, NBC was poised for some kind of interest to boost in Rio on Sunday night. The evening, which typically sees considerably more TV viewing, also marked a primetime showcase for high-profile events such as women's gymnastics and men's swimming.

In the primetime hours between 7 and 11 p.m., Fast Affiliate returns from Nielsen give NBC an average 29.7 million viewers. That's up almost 10 million viewers from the night before — though still off 17 percent from the comparable night four years ago in London. It's still a considerable drop, but not like those on Friday and Saturday, each of which declined by more than 30 percent.

Between 7 and 11 p.m., NBC's Olympics coverage also averaged a 9.0 rating among adults 18-49. That number, like the total viewer stat, is still subject to change when adjustments arrive.

The NBC Sports PR account tweeted out Monday morning that the company would release Total Audience Delivery reports, which combine broadcast, cable and digital airings of Olympic coverage, later in the week. Summing those numbers should help adjust the current narrative, which is dwelling on the deep summer-to-summer drops since 2012.