TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Chinese Television System (CTS) reported Monday (Aug. 5) that its broadcast of Taiwanese badminton duo Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and Lee Yang's (李洋) gold medal match garnered the highest nationwide viewership, peaking at a rating of 7.42, with a momentary spike to 10.51.
During the match, 2.84 million viewers across Taiwan cheered for the duo, while the award ceremony attracted 2.89 million. CTS revealed that from 9 p.m. on Sunday to 12:30 a.m. on Monday, nearly 313.31 million viewers aged four and above watched the broadcast. This figure doesn't include online and other platform viewership.
Wang and Lee defeated the world No. 1 Chinese pair, Liang Weikeng (梁偉鏗) and Wang Chang (王昶), becoming the first pair in Olympic men's doubles badminton history to defend their gold medal.
This victory also marked Lee's final Olympic performance. In a post-match interview, Lee expressed his gratitude to Wang, saying, "Thank you, darling, I'm out of here!" Wang quickly responded, noting that the pair's journey isn't over yet, with potential year-end and Taipei Open tournaments ahead.
Wang shared the challenges they faced and expressed gratitude for the stadium audience's support and from those watching from home. He also thanked Lee's encouragement during the match. "Our coach told us to believe in ourselves, so we are very happy to win this gold medal," Wang said.
As Taiwan celebrates this monumental achievement, fans eagerly anticipate the duo's future matches and continued success.