The fact that the Olympics are a ratings bonanza in China comes as no surprise to me, Chinese TV as a whole is crap. The programs center around a few themes (Song Dynasty, World War II and Malcolm in the Middle/Friends ripoffs). Our friends would complain about how bad programs were and most of them would download American programs because they hate what's available to them. So of course the Olympics are getting high ratings, it's a welcome alternative to what's currently available.