It was a splashy affair, but the opening ceremony of China’s first Olympic Games failed to attract audiences on par with those for Athens 2004 on CBC, though the pubcaster improved on its weekend primetime coverage.

One million viewers tuned in for the taped rebroadcast of the ceremonies at 6 p.m. ET, down from the 1.5 million who watched the Athens spectacle in primetime in 2004. Another 919,000 viewers got up early on Friday, however, and watched the opener live at 8 a.m. (All numbers 2+.)

The story is different in the U.S., where NBC nabbed a record-breaking 34.2 million viewers with its primetime telecast of the opening — a new high for an Olympics not held in the U.S.

The numbers perked up for CBC’s weekend primetime coverage from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., with the pubcaster nabbing an average 1.2 million and 1.3 million viewers Saturday and Sunday, respectively. That marks an increase from the Athens primetime average of 1.1 million viewers.

As of press time, Canada had yet to score a medal in the Games.

Over on CTV, the two-hour season finale of reality competition So You Think You Can Dance, in which Joshua Allen was crowned winner, scored 1.9 million viewers on Thursday at 8 p.m., the highest audience ever for the show.

Dance provided a major boost for action series Flashpoint at 10 p.m., with the fifth episode delivering a series-high 1.3 million viewers for CTV. Numbers were not available for CBS, where the series is simulcast.

Meanwhile, the elimination of Canuck standup comedian Sean Cullen on Global reality series Last Comic Standing resulted in a drop in viewers for the show’s finale. An average 412,000 viewers tuned for the semi-final on July 31 when Cullen was sent packing, dropping to 264,000 viewers a week later for the finale on Aug. 7. Cullen made it to the top eight for the title, in which the winner gets a talent deal with NBC and $250,000.

The series averaged 424,000 viewers.