Beijing Olympics most watched event in U.S. TV history
Washington, August 27 : NBC's round-the-clock coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics has
been declared the most watched event in U.S. TV history.
Statistics released by Nielsen Media Research show that the coverage reached 214
million viewers.
The study also revealed that Michael Phelps' acquisition of a record eight gold medals,
the triumph of the itty-bitty Chinese women's gymnastics team and the U.S. "Redeem Team's"
total domination over all comers in basketball helped the Beijing games surpass the
previously most-watched event of all time-the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
While the Beijing games blew the Atlanta Olympics by 5 million viewers, it surpassed
Athens by 11 million.
"This audience record is something I thought I'd never see again, but what really
satisfied me is the way in which these Olympics truly captivated and seemed to inspire our
country," E!online quoted Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
and executive producer of the network's Olympics coverage, as saying.
"For me, the greatest measure of success at an Olympics is the number of messages I
receive from parents of young kids who have fallen in love with the Olympics. That child
means more to me than anything because I think a love affair with the Olympics is the
greatest in all of sports," he added.
However, the study also revealed that the closing ceremony in Atlanta attracted more
viewers (34.1 million) than Sunday's finale (27.8 million).
--ANI
