Critic's Notebook

Nothing says great TV like an Olympic rivalry

China's gold-winning women's gymnastics team (right) proved too much for the US team (left), which took the silver. (Mike Black/Reuters)

By Joanna Weiss

Globe Staff / August 15, 2008

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It's nice to have an enemy. Just ask NBC. One week into the Beijing Olympics, ratings continue to soar, crushing the numbers from previous games in Sydney and Athens. Last Friday's tape-delayed opening ceremony drew NBC's largest audience since the finale of "Friends." The super-hyped spectacle surely has helped, as has the medal quest of swimmer Michael Phelps. But there's ... (Full article: 673 words)