MUMBAI: This is a piece of news that should make the media planning community sit up and take note. When the biggest sporting spectacle the Athens Olympics aired last month DD Sports was able to more than triple its reach compared to the Sydney games.

Tam data c&s 4+ shows that across the six metros the pubcaster was able to reach 18.8 million homes. In 2000, the figure stood at 5.6 million.

This time around with each day DD Sports was able to increase the net reach. By the last day 28 August, it had managed a net reach of around 55 per cent in the six metros.

The football-crazy city of Kolkata showed greater interest in the games than any other part of the country. It managed an average TVR per cent of 0.6. Mumbai managed half that at 0.3. In the South, Hyderabad also did well by getting a TVR of 0.5.

For the opening ceremony, Kolkata got an average TVR per cent of 2.9. Sport is all about national pride. When long jumper Anju George attempted to get a medal on 27 August the TVR per cent in her hometown Kerala peaked at 7.