LAUSANNE, AUGUST 4: The upcoming Sydney Olympics are expected to reach a television audience of about 3.7 billion viewers, breaking all previous records, according to projections released on Friday by the International Olympic Committee.IOC marketing director Michael Payne described the figures as ``phenomenal.''With an interest rating of just 41 per cent, Portugal ranked bottom in the survey, conducted by the public opinion research firm Ipsos-Reid. No African or Middle Eastern Nations were represented in the poll of 39 countries. No margin of error was given.The sale of broadcast rights for the Sydney Games is due to earn the Olympic movement $1.3 billion, including the $705 million paid by NBC for the US Rights. IOC said US broadcasters plan to air 442 hours of coverage - up from the 169 hours coverage of the 1996 Atlanta Games. Canadian broadcasters will transmit 1,039 hours of action - a 326 per cent increase over the Atlanta Games, while South African broadcasters will relay 930 hours of coverage, 434 per cent higher than in 1996.In total, it estimated that 3.7 billion of the 3.9 billion people who have access to a television set will watch some part of the Games.``No event in the World comes even close to having that sort of level of saturation,'' Payne said in a telephone interview. ``The Olympics, without question, have by far the greatest reach and by far the greatest audience.''The Atlanta Games reached an estimated 3 billion people. IOC said the increase was due to a rise in the number of people with access to television and in the number of broadcasters covering the event.
