The ratings are out for NBC’s live coverage of the Opening Ceremonies for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and there is only one way to describe them: “cataclysmic.”

That is the word Yahoo Sports used to describe the audience turnout, which saw a 43 percent freefall from the 2018 Games in Seoul, South Korea.

According to an NBC press release, the network received only 16 million viewers across all its networks and streaming services. Preliminary data shows the television-only audience was substantially smaller, at less than 14 million viewers for the day.

It marks the lowest ratings of any Opening Ceremonies broadcast, knocking Canada off the “worse ever” podium for its Calgary games, which kicked off with 20.1 million.

Still, NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua claimed it was a “strong start.”

“Led by extensive multiplatform coverage of the compelling Opening Ceremony, and by Nathan Chen’s spectacular performance on Thursday night, we are off to a strong start that is in line with the expectations of our advertising partners,” said Bevacqua. “We look forward to continuing our momentum with the competition tonight and in the weeks ahead.”