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By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing
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A total of 842m Chinese tuned in to the opening ceremony
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The Beijing Games looks set to become the most widely broadcast event in Olympic history, according to the International Olympic Committee.
More than half of China's 1.3 billion people turned on to watch at least some part of the opening ceremony.
On the back of this viewing success, the IOC expects its revenue to increase for future Games.
This success has also helped vindicate the controversial decision to award the event to Beijing.
Huge viewing figures
Timo Lumme, the IOC's director of TV and marketing, reeled off a series of impressive figures at an Olympic news conference.
He said that by the end of the Beijing Games, three times more TV and online material would have been broadcast than at the Athens Games in 2004.
"The figure for total viewing in the world could be around 1.2 billion people," Mr Lumme added. "The interest globally for the Olympic Games is growing."
There have been far more hours of broadcasting than at the last Games
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In China alone, a total of 842 million people tuned in to at least some of the opening ceremony. More than 1 billion Chinese people have watched at least one Olympic event.
In the United States, more than 40 million viewers watched swimmer Michael Phelps win his eighth gold medal - the biggest Saturday night audience since 1990.
There were equally impressive viewing figures in other countries, figures that have been boosted by increased online coverage.
This success will enable the IOC to increase its revenue in the future, Mr Lumme revealed after the news conference was over.
The IOC earned a total of $2.6bn (£1.4bn) from the winter Games in Turin in 2006 and the Beijing event, he said.
That figure is expected to jump to about $3.9bn for the Vancouver winter Games in 2010 and the next summer Games, in London in 2012.
China's state broadcaster CCTV can also expect to pay much more in the future because of its growing economic and sporting clout, said Mr Lumme.
CCTV forked out a proportion of just $18.5m for the rights to show the Beijing Games, far less than other big countries.
"For the next Games, just for China, I think we have to be looking well into three figures," said Mr Lumme, suggesting CCTV will have to pay in excess of $100m.
Catalyst for development
The positive feedback from broadcasters and viewers appears to be helping the IOC justify its decision to give the Games to Beijing.
Ever since the decision was made in 2001, there have been concerns about issues such as China's human rights record and media freedom.
But IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies, also speaking at the press conference, dismissed such concerns.
"The IOC's decision to come to Beijing [was about] opening the door and engaging. It can be a catalyst for development," she said.
"In terms of image, the wider impact, we do not have any concerns."
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