BEIJING, Aug 14: More than two billion people around the world watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics last week, a private global media company said on Thursday.

The figure was based on a survey of 38 international markets, including Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa and the US, the company said.

In terms of regions, television audiences in Asia-Pacific showed the most interest, with half of viewers watching the ceremony, followed by Europe with 30 percent and North America with 24 percent, Nielsen said.

As for individual markets, China had the largest percentage of its population watching the ceremony, followed by South Korea, Greece and Australia. In the US — where the broadcast was delayed by 14 hours — an estimated 65 million tuned in.—AFP