More than 2bn watch Games
More than 2 billion people, almost one-third of the world’s population, watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on TV, market researcher Nielsen Co said.
The previous highest viewership was for the 2006 soccer World Cup, watched by 1.3 billion people, said MindShare, a unit of WPP Group PLC.
Asia Pacific had the highest percentage of viewers for this year’s Games, with more than half of TV audiences in the region tuning in, followed by 30 percent in Europe, Nielsen said in a press release yesterday.
Forty-four percent of South Korea’s TV audience tuned in, while 43 percent watched in Greece, Nielsen said.
The figures are based on the company’s data from 38 markets worldwide, it said.
China was the country with the most viewers, said the Nielsen statement, which didn’t provide a figure.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics, the 29th in the modern era, began at 8:08pm Beijing time on Aug. 8. The Games will end next Sunday.
TAIEX rises 0.46 percent
Shares finished up 0.46 percent yesterday as commodity-related stocks rallied to offset losses by technology shares, dealers said.
The weighted index closed up 33.73 points at 7,326.07, off a low of 7,253.63 and a high of 7,353.31, on turnover of NT$100.3 billion (US$3.2 billion).
Except for electronics, which have led the rebound since last week, nearly all the other shares posted gains, especially commodity related stocks fueled by the overnight rise of crude oil prices, analysts said.
“Obviously this was a rotational play... but the development remained healthy,” said Mars Hsu of Grand Cathay Securities (大華證券), who forecast that the market would move within the range of 7,150-7,450.
But Daiwa Securities SMBC-Cathay (大和國泰證券) sales trader David Li (李衍磬) said: “If US stocks extend falls to a third consecutive session, the TAIEX may not continue to ignore negative cues.”
Chunghwa dividend approved
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), the nation’s top telecom operator, said shareholders had approved a plan to distribute a special 8.35 percent stock dividend by canceling 1.91 billion common shares to improve the firm’s asset structure.
The phone company expects to complete the asset improvement program by the first quarter of next year, it said after the special shareholders’ meeting yesterday.
Government to hold forum
The government will hold an international investor forum in October as part of plans to lure NT$4 trillion (US$128 billion) in new investment from private companies over four years, the Cabinet said in a faxed statement yesterday.
By advancing ties with China through easing restrictions on private investment, Taiwan can attract more foreign funds to boost the economy, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) said in the statement.
The forum will be held from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8 in Taipei and will include discussions on the government’s 12 “Love Taiwan” major infrastructure projects, the statement said.
The Cabinet expects NT$2 trillion in new funds to be invested in the domestic electronics and information industries, the statement said.
NT dollar hits five-month low
The New Taiwan dollar dropped by NT$0.09 to close at a five-month low of NT$31.240 against the greenback yesterday on turnover of US$1.683 billion.
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