4.7 bil people watched Beijing Olympics

September 05, 2008 The Beijing Olympics attracted 4.7 billion viewers, or roughly 70% of Earth's population, from Aug. 8-24, making it the most-watched Games ever, according to data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research. Beijing drew 21% more viewers than the 3.9 billion who followed the 2004 Athens Games, and 31% more viewers than the 3.6 billion who tuned in to the Sydney Games in 2000, Nielsen said in a statement released from its offices in Shanghai. Data collected by Nielsen and its partners in 37 markets around the world shows that more than two in every three people on Earth watched television coverage of the Beijing Olympics.

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