Washington, August 27 : NBC''s round-the-clock coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics has been declared the most watched event in U. S. TV history.

Statistics released by Nielsen Media Research show that the coverage reached 214 million viewers.

The study also revealed that Michael Phelps'' acquisition of a record eight gold medals, the triumph of the itty-bitty Chinese women''s gymnastics team and the U. S. "Redeem Team''s" total domination over all comers in basketball helped the Beijing games surpass the previously most-watched event of all time—the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.