The number of countries broadcasting the Olympics has steadily increased over the past 50 years. There have been a few blips in lower number of countries during some years but overall there is a very visible upward trend. This is mostly likely due to the advances in technology in counties over time, enabling them to receive and cable companies able to afford to buy the rights to broadcast the Olympics. There is a direct correlation with the number of countries broadcasting and the revenue gained from it. The is a plateauing of broadcasting counties in the 2000’s most likely due to the fact that most countries have caught up to technology, as well as the wide spread introduction to the internet, enabling more people to view the games online rather than on tv.
http://www.olympic.org/Documents/IOC_Marketing/OLYMPIC_MARKETING_FACT_FILE_2011.pdf