Global Spotlights on Lillehammer

This study examines how Norway was promoted and poses more general questions about sport, the media and contemporary culture. Do modern media events, such as the Olympic Games, contribute to the global village? If so, what is the role of the mass media in these processes?

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Thanks to global television, millions of viewers now watch the Olympics across the world. For the first time, the Winter Olympics were available on television in 120 countries across every continent. The XVIIth Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer were a huge media success winning increased ratings in many countries. In the US, the CBS viewing figures beat every previous Olympic prime-time rating - for either the Summer or Winter Games. This study examines how a nation was promoted and poses more general questions about sport, the media and contemporary culture. Was Lillehammer 1994 a unified global event or did te different cultures and audiences experience the Olympic Games in diversified ways? Do modern media events, such as the Olympic Games, contribute to the global village? If so, what is the role of the mass media in these processes?