Over 100 Million TV viewers witnessed the Olympic Flame Summit
Mt. Everest

On May 8th, 2008, at 9:17a.m., the Olympic flame stood burning brightly at an elevation of 8844.43 meters on top of Mt. Everest, symbolizing the light of unity, friendship, peace and justice. This notable adventure created a new record when it comes to the Olympic Flame as it reached its highest terrestrial height ever. It established another achievement in Olympic history. The flame on the Mt. Everest is an excellent representation of the Faster, Higher, and Stronger Olympic sprit. It also heightened the Chinese people‘s Olympic enthusiasm and sense of national pride to new levels.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics Torch Relay reached a highpoint, attracting global attention when the Olympic flame reached summit of Mt. Everest. On May 8th, from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. TV media such as the CCTV Comprehensive channel (CCTV 1), the CCTV news channel, the CCTV Olympic channel, the CCTV International channel, the CCTV English Channel and Beijing Satellite TV, broadcast the action live as the torch reached the top of Mt. Everest. According to data from CSM Media Research’s National PeopleMeter panel, 120 million viewers witnessed the event live through this broadcast. Additionally many more people were able to listen to or watch the event over radio, the internet, mobile phone TV, mobile TV, and many other media channels to keep pace with the Olympic Torch on its record climb to the Mt. Everest Peak.

A large number and wide variety of news and documentary programs were created by different TV stations all focused on the torch’s climb up Mt. Everest to report on the event. Among these programs, “The Olympic Light Shines on the Top of Mt. Everest” broadcasted by the CCTV Olympic Channel and other channels, reached an audience of 170 million viewers. The CCTV Comprehensive Channel “Evening News” spent the first 11 minutes of the program reporting in detail on the Torch’s climb to the summit and this program attracted the attention of 130 million TV viewers. In addition many more TV programs focused on this event in detail such as the CCTV Comprehensive’s“Topics in Focus”, CCTV Olympic channel’s “Go with the Olympic Flame”, CCTV 4’s “Go with the Olympic Flame to See China”, and Beijing Satellite’s “Harmonious Travel’s of the Olympic Torch Relay, 100 Day Broadcast.” These programs were warmly responded to by TV viewers as well.