Lillehammer Games Set Viewer Record

The 1994 Lillehammer Games were the most-watched Olympics in history, finishing 14% ahead of the record set by the 1972 Summer Games in Munich. The average rating for CBS’s 16 nights of prime time coverage was 27.8, Nielsen Media Research said. The Munich Games, interrupted when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 members of the Israeli team, got a 24.4 rating on ABC.

The Lillehammer Games finished 18% above the previous record for a Winter Olympics, set by ABC at Lake Placid, N.Y, in 1980. Those Games, bolstered by the U.S. hockey team’s gold medal victory, got a 23.6 rating. CBS’ coverage was 46% above the 18.7 rating for the Albertville Games.