The spectacle of the Beijing Olympic Games captured the imagination of the Spanish viewing public to such an extent that 35 million Spaniards tuned in to the Games at some period of their celebration, it was unveiled on Wednesday.

The success of Spanish teams in sports such as basketball, handball and individual performances in cycling and tennis kept the interest high for the two weeks of the Olympics.

The online version of el Confidential newspaper revealed that 86 percent of the total television audience watched some action from Beijing with the most watched events being the semifinal of the men's basketball, where Spain defeated Lithuania. Some 5.7 million people tuned in for the match.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal's gold medal match was also a popular event with 3.8 million Spaniards watching the triumph of the newly crowned world number one.

Overall the national TV station TVE emitted over 1,000 hours of programs.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2008)