The 2012 Olympic Games have officially started. This year the summer event is being held in London, England, and the action has been as unpredictable and exciting as ever. As always, the international competition got off to a great start with the opening ceremonies. It is estimated that approximately 40 million viewers in the United States tuned in to see the big moment on July 27, 2012. This was a record audience for the summer version of the Olympic Games. More than 80,000 people attended the ceremony in person in London, England. Here is a look at the viewership and attendance for four other Olympic Games.
2010
In 2010, the Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver, Canada, on February 12, 2010. For these games, there were more than 61,000 people who attended. In the United States, ratings indicate that around 32 million people watched at least some of the festivities. The high ratings may be at least partially due to the close proximity of Canada to the United States.
2008
In 2008, it was Beijing, China, that hosted the Summer Games. It is estimated that more than two billion people watched the opening ceremonies and more than 90,000 people attended the event. Many of those viewers were in China. In the United States, the ceremonies were viewed, at one point or another, by approximately 34 million people. One of the main issues with the Beijing Olympic Games was the huge time difference. It is thought that word of how good the opening ceremony was spread and led to the increased viewing of the ceremonies.
2006
In 2006, the Winter Games were held in Torino, Italy. There were approximately 35,000 people who came to the Stadio Olimpico to see the opening ceremony. In the United States, more than 22 million people watched the opening ceremony for the 2006 Winter Games.
2004
In 2004, the Summer Games were held in Athens, Greece. That year, over 24 million people in the United States tuned in to see the opening ceremonies. More than 74,000 people were in attendance to see the ceremonies in person. It is estimated that approximately four billion people tuned in at some point during the events of the Olympic Games that year.
Though Kristin Watt is not a fan of all sports, she does follow the news on most sports religiously. Major news events in sport do tend to ripple out to others and she makes sure that she never misses the big stories.
