SEVEN NETWORK TV RATINGS: ROCKING IN THE FREEMAN WORLD

          Australian sprinter Cathy Freeman's victory in the 400-
     meter Monday night was the "most watched sporting event in
     Australian television history," according to the Sydney
     DAILY TELEGRAPH.  Data shows that 8,787,000 Australians
     watched the race, with a "massive" 90% share of the Sydney
     viewing audience tuned to Channel 7.  Nationally, the race
     scored an 86.7% share (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/27).  In
     DC, T.R. Reid writes the BBC, with its Olympic coverage on
     each of its two main networks, has increased audience share
     by a third over its '96 ratings.  Japan's NHK reported that
     an "unprecedented" 60% of the population tuned in Sunday
     morning to watch Naoka Takahashi win the women's marathon --
      "a victory so popular that NHK showed Takahashi's entire 2-
     hour 23-minute race two more times during the day"
     (WASHINGTON POST, 9/27).