Screentime
Chinese Viewers Flock to Olympics Even as the World Tunes Out
Supporters of freestyle skier Eileen Gu react as they watch her silver medal winning performance at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on television in Beijing, China.
Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Buoyed by the success of stars like Eileen Gu and Su Yiming, Chinese viewers are flocking to the Beijing Winter Olympics in huge numbers -- even as the rest of the world tunes out.
Almost 600 million people, or around half the Chinese population, have viewed the Winter Olympics on television, with the opening ceremony becoming the most watched TV program in a decade, Timo Lumme, managing director of the International Olympic Committee’s Television and Marketing Services, said Wednesday at a briefing in Beijing.