List of most watched television broadcasts

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The following is a partial list of most watched television broadcasts, organized by country and based on various criteria.

This television-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Contents

[edit] World

Worldwide viewership statistics cited in press releases by television networks, FIFA, the NFL and others have been questioned by independent groups and audience figures cited in billions are considered practically unverifiable. FIFA has admitted that numbers have been massively exaggerated in some cases, and simply guessed in others.[1]

Estimates for the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony global TV viewership varied between one and four billion,[2][3][4][5][6][7] including an estimated 842 million viewers watching on host Chinese broadcaster China Central Television.[2] A verifiable audience of 984 million tuned in to the opening ceremony at some stage, averaging at 593 million, while 778 million watched the closing ceremony.[8] The 2008 Summer Olympics is the current record holder for a multi-day broadcast. It is estimated by Nielsen Media Research that up to 4.7 billion individual viewers (70% of the world's population) watched some part of the coverage.[9]

The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was watched by 715 million people, as estimated by FIFA.[10] IPG independent media agency Initiative Worldwide estimated an average of 260 million, with 600 million who tuned for some part of the game.[11] The independent firm Initiative Futures Sport + Entertainment estimate a reach of 638 million and an average of 322 million viewers.[12]

On July 20, 1969, 530 million people watched the first humans ever to walk on the surface of the moon (this constituted around 14% of total population of the world at the time),[13][14] despite the fact that the first moonwalk took place in the middle of the night in Europe (at 2:56 AM in the United Kingdom and 3:56 AM in France and Germany) and it was not broadcast at all in the Eastern Bloc.[15]

A satellite broadcast for an Elvis Presley show live from Hawaii, titled Aloha from Hawaii on January 14, 1973 is reported to have reached 1–1.5 billion viewers globally.[16][17][18][unreliable source?] Some breakdowns of the figures suggest 40% of the Japanese television audience,[19] and 91.8% of the television audience in the Philippines,[20] with an estimated 51% of the American television audience[19] when it aired later in America on April 4, 1973.[19][21]

The 2011 Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan is reported to have been watched by about one billion people by The Guardian,[22] which if accurate would mean it had more than twice as many viewers as the actual final, which was watched by 400 million people based on the available data.[23]

Many events in the world have been reported as been watched by large audiences, sometimes by billions - although most of the figures do not have reliable sources, and are given by the promoters of such events to boost viewership, sometimes before the actual airing.[24] The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was expected to draw a global audience of two billion,[25][26] but only drew a verified audience of 161 million viewers from 47% of the world population.[23] Other examples are the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer,[27][28] the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales[24][29][30] Michael Jackson's memorial service,[24] and the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners in 2010.[31]

[edit] National

[edit] Australia

The list below is the top ten most watched broadcasts in Australia since 2001. These figures represents the Five Metro Capital audience (Syd-Mel-Bris-Per-Ade) and don't include regional figures.

Rank Show Number of Viewers Date Network
1 2005 Australian Open - Men's Singles Final: Marat Safin def. Lleyton Hewitt 4,045,000 02005 2005 Seven Network
2 2003 Rugby World Cup Final 4,016,000 02003 2003 Seven Network
3 MasterChef Australia (season 2) - finale challenge 3,962,000 02010-07-25 25 July 2010 Network Ten
4 MasterChef Australia (season 1) - winners announcement 3,560,000 02009-07-19 19 July 2009 Network Ten
5 2006 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony 3,560,000 02006 2006 Nine Network
6 AFL Grand Final (Sydney Swans v West Coast Eagles) 3,386,000 02005 2005 Network Ten
7 Australian Idol: The final verdict 3,344,000 02004 2004 Network Ten
8 Masterchef Australia: Finale night 3,313,000 02009-07-19 19 July 2009 Network Ten
9 Australian Idol: The final verdict 3,330,000 02006 2006 Network Ten
10 AFL Grand Final (West Coast Eagles v Sydney Swans) 3,145,000 02006 2006 Network Ten

[edit] Top programmes

Nielsen compiling ratings for television beginning in 1956;[citation needed] OzTAM began in 1999.[32]

These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen and OzTAM rating in each television season:

Year Show Show's
network		 Year's most watched
network
1996 Blue Heelers Seven Nine
1997 Blue Heelers Seven Nine
1998 Friends (new episodes) Nine Nine
1999 Friends Nine Nine
2000 Friends Nine Seven
2001 ER Nine Nine
2002 National Nine News Sunday Nine Nine
2003 The Block Nine Nine
2004 Australian Idol Ten Nine
2005 Desperate Housewives Seven Nine
2006 Dancing with the Stars Seven Nine
2007 Kath and Kim Seven Seven
2008 Packed to the Rafters Seven Seven
2009 MasterChef Australia Ten Seven

In 2009, MasterChef Australia became the most watched non-sporting event in Australian history.[citation needed]

[edit] Canada

The most watched television broadcast in Canadian history was the Gold medal game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics, played between the United States and Canada at GM Place (renamed "Canada Hockey Place" for the Olympics) in Vancouver. A confirmed 16.6 million Canadians watched the whole game, roughly one-half of the country's entire population.[33] A groundbreaking 26.5 million Canadians watched some part of the game, over 80 percent of the country's 33-million-person population.[34] According to multiple sources, 13.3 million Canadians watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, which was the previous record.[35]

Many believed the final game of the 1972 Summit Series had up to 18 million viewers, but those rumours have been proven false, as only 4.3 million people watched it. 10.3 million people watched the ice hockey gold medal final of the 2002 Winter Olympics.[36]

[edit] China

China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala has regularly attracted between 700 million and one billion viewers since the early 1980s.[citation needed] As of 2007, their main evening news broadcast (Xinwen Lianbo) had a daily audience of around 135 million people, a low figure compared to earlier years.[citation needed]

Follow Me! a BBC beginner's English programme broadcast in China as part of the re-establishment of an educational system after the end of the Cultural Revolution.[37][38] The programme, broadcast on one of China's three channels from 1981 to 1989,[37] has been estimated to have attracted a nightly audience of 350 million people during the early 1980s.[38]

[edit] India

The 2011 Cricket World Cup Final was watched by 135 million viewers across the country in cable & satellite, terrestrial and DTH homes aMap.[39] The official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) via its STAR Cricket channel experienced all-time high TRPs, had raised ad rates for 10 second slots during the finals to INR24 lakh (US$52,800), prior to the final.[40]

[edit] Germany

[edit] Most watched telecasts

Rank Show Episode Number of Viewers Share Date Network
1 2010 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Spain (semi-final) 31.10 million1, 4 83.2% 02010-07-07 7 July 2010 Das Erste
2 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Italy (semi-final) 29.66 million1, 2, 3 84.1% 02006-07-04 4 July 2006 ZDF
3 2010 FIFA World Cup Ghana vs. Germany (group game) 29.19 million1, 4 79.7% 02010-06-23 23 June 2010 Das Erste
4 UEFA Euro 2008 Germany vs Turkey (semi-final) 29.43 million1 81.8% 02008-06-25 25 June 2008 ZDF
5 1990 FIFA World Cup West Germany vs Argentina (final) 28.66 million 01990-07-09 9 July 1990 Das Erste
6 UEFA Euro 1996 Germany vs Czech Republic (final) 28.44 million 76.3% 01996-06-30 30 June 1996 ZDF
7 UEFA Euro 2008 Austria vs Germany (group game) 28.04 million1, 5 76.9% 02008-06-16 16 June 2008 ZDF
8 The Black Forest Clinic "Die Schuldfrage" (engl.: The question of guilt) 27.97 million 01985-11-17 17 November 1985 ZDF
9 2010 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Australia (group game) 27.91 million1, 4 74.4% 02010-06-13 13 June 2010 Das Erste
10 UEFA Euro 2008 Portugal vs Germany (quarter-final) 27.70 million1, 5 78.7% 02008-06-19 19 June 2008 Das Erste
11 2002 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Brazil (final) 27.09 million 88.0% 02002-06-30 30 June 2002 ZDF
  1. Public viewing areas were not included in these ratings.
  1. The approximated rating is about 60 to 70 million.[41]
  1. The extra time reached even 31.31 million viewers.[42]
  1. Summary of the 2010 FIFA World Cup ratings.
  1. Summary of the UEFA Euro 2008 ratings.
  • Note: The UEFA Euro 2008 final is missing from the list, because the lengthy trophy presentation was included into the official ratings. The game itself was watched by 28.05 million viewers.[43]

[edit] New Zealand

The follwing are the most watched television programmes or events in New Zealand since 1 January 1995, according to Nielsen TAM ratings.[44][45]

Rank Programme/Event Number of viewers
(thousands)		 Date Network
1 2011 Rugby World Cup – final between New Zealand and France 2037 02011-10-23 23 October 2011 TV One / TV3 / Sky / Māori
2 2011 Rugby World Cup – semifinal between New Zealand and Australia 2024 02011-10-16 16 October 2011 TV One / TV3 / Sky / Māori
3 2011 Rugby World Cup – opening game between New Zealand and Tonga 1930 02011-09-09 9 September 2011 TV One / Sky / Māori
4 Boxing match between David Tua and Lennox Lewis 1841 02000-11-12 12 November 2000 TV3
5 ONE News special – Death of Diana, Princess of Wales 1703 01997-08-31 31 August 1997 TV One
6 2000 Summer Olympics – opening ceremony 1654 02000-09-15 15 September 2000 TV One
7 ONE News special – Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales 1650 01997-09-06 6 September 1997 TV One
8 2011 Rugby World Cup – quarter-final between New Zealand and Argentina 1624 02011-10-09 9 October 2011 TV One / TV3 / Sky / Māori
9 2003 Rugby World Cup – final between England and Australia 1605 02003-11-22 22 November 2003 TV One
10 Martin Bashir's interview with Diana, Princess of Wales 1517 01995-11-21 21 November 1995 TV2
11 2011 Rugby World Cup – opening ceremony 1499 02011-09-09 9 September 2011 TV One
8 2007 Rugby World Cup – quarter-final between New Zealand and France 1410 02007-10-07 7 October 2007 TV3

[edit] United Kingdom

[edit] Most watched programmes

The following is a list of most watched programmes, excluding sporting events and news coverage. The mid-1980s introduction of in-week repeat showings accounts for six of the top ten programmes. On this measure, the 1996 Christmas edition of Only Fools and Horses is the most watched non-repeated, non-documentary programme of all time in the UK. It is the second most watched programme of all time on a single channel after the wedding of The Princess Anne in 1973 (see below).

  • Post-1981 figures verified by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB)
  • Pre-1981 figures supplied by the British Film Institute
Rank Show Episode Number of viewers
(millions)		 Date Network
1 EastEnders Den divorces Angie. 30.10[46] 01986-12-25 25 December 1986* BBC1
2 EastEnders 28.00[47] 01987-01-01 1 January 1987* BBC1
3 Coronation Street Hilda Ogden leaves 26.65[47] 01987-12-25 25 December 1987* ITV (Granada)
4 Only Fools and Horses Time On Our Hands 24.35[48] 01996-12-29 29 December 1996 BBC1
5 EastEnders 24.30[49] 01992-01-02 2 January 1992* BBC1
6 Royal Variety Performance 1965 Shirley Bassey, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore 24.20[50] 01965-11-14 14 November 1965 ITV (ATV)
7 EastEnders 24.15[51] 01988-01-07 7 January 1988* BBC1
8 To the Manor Born Series 1 Finale 23.95[52] 01979-11-11 11 November 1979 BBC1
9 Miss World 1967 23.76[50] 01967-11-19 19 November 1967 BBC1
10 EastEnders 23.55[53] 01985-12-26 26 December 1985* BBC1
11 Panorama Princess Diana 22.78[54] 01995-11-20 20 November 1995 BBC1
12 Royal Variety Performance 1975 22.66[52] 01975-11-16 16 November 1975 BBC1
13 This Is Your Life Lord Mountbatten 22.22[52] 01977-04-27 27 April 1977 ITV (Thames)
14 Sunday Night at the London Palladium 21.89[50] 01967-12-03 3 December 1967 ITV (ATV)
15 The Benny Hill Show 21.67[52] 01971-03-24 24 March 1971 ITV (Thames)
16 Dallas J.R. Ewing's shooter is revealed 21.60[55] 01980-11-22 22 November 1980 BBC1
=16 Coronation Street 21.60[49] 01992-01-08 8 January 1992 ITV (Granada)
18 Eurovision Song Contest 1973 21.56[52] 01973-04-07 7 April 1973 BBC1
19 Steptoe and Son 21.54[50] 01964-02-18 18 February 1964 BBC1
20 The Mike Yarwood Show Mike Yarwood Christmas Show 21.40[52] 01977-12-25 25 December 1977 BBC1
=20 Coronation Street 21.40[53] 01985-01-02 2 January 1985 ITV (Granada)
22 Coronation Street 21.36[50] 01964-12-02 2 December 1964 ITV (Granada)
23 Only Fools and Horses "If They Could See Us Now" 21.35[56] 02001-12-25 25 December 2001 BBC1
24 Morecambe and Wise Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 21.30[52] 01977-12-25 25 December 1977 BBC1
25 Neighbours 21.16[57] 01990-02-26 26 February 1990* BBC1
  • Entries with an asterisk denote aggregated figure with repeat showing.

[edit] Most watched films

(by total number of viewers;[58] dates are when the films were broadcast, not necessarily when they were produced.)

Rank Show Number of viewers Date Network
1 Live and Let Die 23.50 million 01980-01-20 20 January 1980 ITV
2 Jaws 23.25 million 01981-10-08 8 October 1981 ITV
3 The Spy Who Loved Me 22.90 million 01982-03-28 28 March 1982 ITV
4 Diamonds Are Forever 22.15 million 01981-03-15 15 March 1981 ITV
5 Crocodile Dundee 21.75 million 01989-12-25 25 December 1989 BBC1

[edit] Most watched special events

Geoff Hurst's "Wembley Goal" at the 1966 World Cup final.
Rank Episode Number of viewers
(millions)		 Date Network
1 World Cup 1966 (England v. West Germany) 32.30[50] 01966-07-30 30 July 1966 BBC1/ITV[59]
2 Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales 32.10[49] 01997-09-06 6 September 1997 BBC1/ITV
3 The Royal Family (documentary) 30.69[50] 01969-06-21 21 June 1969 and 01969-06-28 28 June 1969 BBC1/ITV
4 Apollo 13 splashdown 28.60[52] 01970-04-17 17 April 1970 BBC1/ITV
5 FA Cup Final replay: Chelsea vs. Leeds 28.49[52] 01970-04-29 29 April 1970 BBC1/ITV
6 Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer 28.40[55] 01981-07-29 29 July 1981 BBC1/ITV
7 Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips 27.60[52] 01973-11-14 14 November 1973 BBC1
8 JFK Assassination – News Broadcast 24.15[50] 01963-11-22 22 November 1963 BBC1/ITV
9 1994 Winter Olympics 23.95[49] 01994-02-21 21 February 1994 BBC1
10 World Cup 1998 (England v. Argentina) 23.78 [60] 01998-06-30 30 June 1998 ITV
  • Note- The highest ranked one-off broadcast in the UK since 2000 was the Euro 2004 match between England and Portugal (BBC1 - 24 June 2004) with an audience of 20.66 million.[61]
  • Note- The Winter Olympics coverage is Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's Monday night final free dance on their Olympic comeback in 1994 in Lillehammer 10 years after their Olympic victory in Sarajevo. In Lillehammer they took bronze.[49]
  • Note- The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (29 April 2011) received a total audience peak of 26 million viewers, but this is a combined figure aggregated from the ten different channels that broadcast the ceremony. The highest figures of these were 13.59 million on BBC1, with an extra 4.02 million watching on ITV.[62]

[edit] United States

Sources: BBC, Reuters, Nielsen Media Research

[edit] Top 46 network prime-time telecasts

 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)
(from January 1964 to February 2010; ranked by rating, or "Percentage of Households." Households could include many viewers; share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program; source: Nielsen Media Research and Variety)

The following is the top 46 network primetime telecasts between 1964 and 2010. Few post-1990 telecasts are listed. Before Fox's launch in October 1986,[citation needed] the Big Three television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—dominated nationwide broadcasting. Since cable and satellite television became widely available and viewed, typical American households have a far greater choice of programming from dozens or hundreds of specialty and broadcast channels, as opposed to the handful of broadcast channels during the era represented by most programs on this list. More recently,[specify] increased ease and prevalence of watching programming other than at its original airing (in reruns, by recording, by time-shifting, on-demand, by internet download, etc.) decreases the need for masses of viewers to tune into a single broadcast as well.[citation needed]

Of the 46 shows on this list:

  • 21 are Super Bowls
  • Eight are from mini series (six Roots and two The Thorn Birds)
  • Three are series finales (The Fugitive, M*A*S*H, Cheers)
  • Eleven are special/rare or highly anticipated events
    • the first two US television performances by The Beatles
    • the two parts of the Olympic figure skating competition featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding
    • two consecutive years of Bob Hope entertaining US troops in Vietnam at Christmas
    • the two-part television premiere of the classic movie Gone With the Wind
    • one year of the annual Academy awards
    • the television movie The Day After
    • and the Dallas episode revealing who shot J.R.
  • Only one "regular" television show appears on this list: an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.

Of the 46 shows, 15 were broadcast on each of NBC and CBS, 13 shows on ABC, and two shows on Fox. The 23 sports events on the list could be considered to carry their own audience, as compared to the notion that the efforts of any particular network caused the high viewership. All Super Bowl Ratings up to Super Bowl XLIII can be found in full here.[63][64]

Final numbers for Super Bowl XLVI are also unavailable, but ESPN claimed it earned the most viewers in history, over last year's Super Bowl, with an estimated 111.3 million people.[65]

Rank Show or Episode Number of Households Percent of Households Share Date Network
1 M*A*S*H series finale: "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"[66] 50.15 million 60.2% 77% 01983-02-28 28 February 1983 CBS
2 Dallas episode: "Who Done It?" aka "Who shot J.R.?" 41.47 million 53.3% 76% 01980-11-21 21 November 1980 CBS
3 Roots Part VIII (finale) 36.38 million 51.1% 71% 01977-01-30 30 January 1977 ABC
4 Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals) 40.02 million 49.1% 73% 01982-01-24 24 January 1982 CBS
5 Super Bowl XVII (Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins) 40.48 million 48.6% 69% 01983-01-30 30 January 1983 NBC
6 XVII Winter Olympics: Women's figure skating – short program
featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding		 45.69 million 48.5% 64% 01994-02-23 23 February 1994 CBS
7 Super Bowl XX (Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots) 41.49 million 48.3% 70% 01986-01-26 26 January 1986 NBC
8 The Oprah Winfrey Show (Guest: Michael Jackson) 36.5 million 47.9% 67% 01993-02-10 10 February 1993 Syndication
9 Gone with the Wind telecast (part 1) 33.96 million 47.7% 65% 01976-11-07 7 November 1976 NBC
10 Gone with the Wind telecast (part 2) 33.75 million 47.4% 64% 01976-11-08 8 November 1976 NBC
11 Super Bowl XII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos) 34.41 million 47.2% 67% 01978-01-15 15 January 1978 CBS
12 Super Bowl XIII (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys) 35.09 million 47.1% 74% 01979-01-21 21 January 1979 NBC
13 Bob Hope Christmas Special 27.26 million 46.6% 64% 01970-01-15 15 January 1970 NBC
14 Super Bowl XLIV (New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts) 53.6 million 46.4% 68% 02010-02-07 7 February 2010 CBS
15 Super Bowl XVIII (Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins) 38.88 million 46.4% 71% 01984-01-22 22 January 1984 CBS
16 Super Bowl XIX (San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins) 39.39 million 46.4% 63% 01985-01-20 20 January 1985 ABC
17 Super Bowl XIV (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams) 35.33 million 46.3% 67% 01980-01-20 20 January 1980 CBS
18 Super Bowl XXX (Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) 44.15 million 46.0% 68% 01996-01-28 28 January 1996 NBC
19 Film: The Day After 38.55 million 46.0% 62% 01983-11-20 20 November 1983 ABC
20 Roots Part VI 32.68 million 45.9% 66% 01977-01-28 28 January 1977 ABC
21 The Fugitive series finale: "The Judgement: Part 2" 25.70 million 45.9% 72% 01967-08-29 29 August 1967 ABC
22 Super Bowl XXI (New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos) 40.03 million 45.8% 66% 01987-01-25 25 January 1987 CBS
23 Roots Part V 32.54 million 45.7% 71% 01977-01-27 27 January 1977 ABC
24 Super Bowl XXVIII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) 42.86 million 45.5% 66% 01994-01-30 30 January 1994 NBC
25 Cheers series finale: "One for the Road" 42.36 million 45.5% 64% 01993-05-20 20 May 1993 NBC
26 The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles' first appearance[66] 23.24 million 45.3% 60% 01964-02-09 9 February 1964 CBS
27 Super Bowl XXVII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) 41.99 million 45.1% 66% 01993-01-31 31 January 1993 NBC
28 Bob Hope Christmas Show 27.05 million 45.0% 61% 01971-01-14 14 January 1971 NBC
29 Roots Part III 31.90 million 44.8% 68% 01977-01-25 25 January 1977 ABC
30 Super Bowl XXXII (Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers) 43.63 million 44.5% 67% 01998-01-25 25 January 1998 NBC
31 Super Bowl XI (Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings) 31.61 million 44.4% 73% 01977-01-09 9 January 1977 NBC
32 Super Bowl XV (Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles) 34.54 million 44.4% 63% 01981-01-25 25 January 1981 NBC
33 Super Bowl VI (Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins) 27.45 million 44.2% 74% 01972-01-16 16 January 1972 CBS
34 XVII Winter Olympics: Ladies' figure skating – long program
featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding		 41.54 million 44.1% 62% 01994-02-25 25 February 1994 CBS
35 Roots Part II 31.40 million 44.1% 62% 01977-01-24 24 January 1977 ABC
38 The Beverly Hillbillies: "The Giant Jackrabbit" 22.57 million 44.0% 65% 01964-01-08 8 January 1964 CBS
39 Roots Part IV 31.19 million 43.8% 66% 01977-01-26 26 January 1977 ABC
40 The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles' second appearance 22.445 million 43.8% 60% 01964-02-16 16 February 1964 CBS
41 Super Bowl XXIII (Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers) 39.32 million 43.5% 68% 01989-01-22 22 January 1989 NBC
42 42nd Academy Awards 25.39 million 43.4% 78% 01970-04-07 7 April 1970 ABC
43 Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans) 43.62 million 43.3% 63% 02000-01-30 30 January 2000 ABC
44 Super Bowl XXXI (New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers) 42.00 million 43.3% 65% 01997-01-26 26 January 1997 Fox
45 The Thorn Birds Part III 35.99 million 43.2% 62% 01983-03-29 29 March 1983 ABC
46 Super Bowl XLII (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) 48.66 million 43.1% 65% 02008-02-03 3 February 2008 Fox

[edit] Most watched series finales

 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

(sources: Reuters, Variety, Nielsen Media Research, ratings data from USA Today weekly ratings charts)

Rank Series Number of Viewers
(in millions)		 Percent of Households Share Date Network
1 M*A*S*H 105.94[67] 79.2% 77% 01983-02-28 28 February 1983 CBS
2 Cheers 84.4[67] 45.5% 64%[68] 01993-05-20 20 May 1993 NBC
3 Seinfeld 76.3[67] 41.3% 58% 01998-05-14 14 May 1998 NBC
4 Friends 52.46[67][69] 29.8% 43% 02004-05-06 6 May 2004 NBC
5 Magnum, P.I. 50.7[67][70] 32.0% 48% 01988-05-01 1 May 1988 CBS
6 The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson		 50.0[67] N/A N/A 01992-05-22 22 May 1992 NBC
7 The Cosby Show 44.4[67] 28.0% 45% 01992-04-30 30 April 1992 NBC
8 All in the Family 40.2[67][70] 26.6% 43% 01979-04-08 8 April 1979 CBS
9 Family Ties 36.3 20.8% 35% 01989-05-14 14 May 1989 NBC
10 Home Improvement 35.5[71] 21.6%[72] 43%[71] 01999-05-25 25 May 1999 ABC
11 Frasier 33.7[69] 16.3% 25% 02004-05-13 13 May 2004 NBC
12 Dallas 33.3 22.0% 38% 01991-05-03 3 May 1991 CBS
13 Everybody Loves Raymond 32.9[69] 20.2% 29% 02005-05-16 16 May 2005 CBS
14 Gunsmoke 30.9[70] N/A N/A 01975-03-31 31 March 1975 CBS
15 The Fugitive 30.0[73] 45.9% 72% 01967-08-29 29 August 1967 ABC
16 Newhart 29.5 18.7% 29% 01990-05-21 21 May 1990 CBS
17 Star Trek: The Next Generation 27.8 20% 34% 01994-05-23 23 May 1994 Syndication
18 The Golden Girls 27.2 18.9% 38% 01992-05-09 9 May 1992 NBC
19 Full House 24.3 14.6% 25% 01995-05-23 23 May 1995 ABC
20 St. Elsewhere 22.5[70] 17% 29% 01988-05-25 25 May 1988 NBC[74]
21 MacGyver 22.3 13.8% 26% 01992-05-21 21 May 1992 ABC
22 Miami Vice 22.2 14.7% 23% 01989-05-21 21 May 1989 NBC
23 L.A. Law 22.1 15.9% 27% 01994-05-19 19 May 1994 NBC
24 ALF 21.7 13.1% 24% 01990-03-24 24 March 1990 NBC
25 Growing Pains 21.1 13.3% 24% 01992-04-25 25 April 1992 ABC
26 The Wonder Years 21.0 13.9% 23% 01993-05-12 12 May 1993 ABC
27 Quantum Leap 20.6 13.7% 23% 01993-05-05 5 May 1993 NBC
28 Who's the Boss? 20.5 12.7% 24% 01992-04-25 25 April 1992 ABC
29 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 19.9 13.1% 22% 01996-05-20 20 May 1996 NBC
30 Mad About You 19.8 13.6% 20% 01999-05-24 24 May 1999 NBC
31 Knots Landing 19.6 13.9% 22% 01993-05-13 13 May 1993 CBS
32 Bonanza 19.3[70]  ?  ? 01973-01-16 16 January 1973 NBC
33 Designing Women 18.8 14.2% 22% 01993-05-24 24 May 1993 CBS
34 Matlock 18.7 13.2% 20% 01995-05-07 7 May 1995 ABC
35 Will & Grace 18.4 11.7% 18% 02006-05-18 18 May 2006 NBC
36 The Facts of Life 18.2 13.2% 29% 01988-05-07 7 May 1988 NBC
37 Jake and the Fatman 18.1 12.9% 20% 01992-05-06 6 May 1992 CBS
38 Major Dad 17.9 12.6% 20% 01993-04-16 16 April 1993 CBS
39 Murphy Brown 17.5 12.3% 19% 01998-05-18 18 May 1998 CBS
40 Roseanne 16.6 11.6% 19% 01997-05-20 20 May 1997 ABC
41 Murder, She Wrote 16.5 12.3% 21% 01996-05-19 19 May 1996 CBS
42 ER 16.4 10.4% 17% 02009-04-02 2 April 2009 NBC
43 NYPD Blue 16.1 10.4% 17% 02005-03-01 1 March 2005 ABC
44 Miami Vice 16.1 11.0% 21% 01989-06-28 28 June 1989 NBC
45 Married... with Children 15.2 10.0% 16% 01997-05-05 5 May 1997 Fox
46 In the Heat of the Night 15.0 10.9% 17% 01995-05-16 16 May 1995 CBS
47 Kate & Allie 14.9 11.9% 20% 01989-05-22 22 May 1989 CBS
48 Dynasty 14.7 10.8% 17% 01989-05-11 11 May 1989 ABC
49 Monday Night Football 14.4[75] 9.2% 16% 02005-12-26 26 December 2005 ABC
50 Beverly Hills, 90210 14.4 9.6% 15% 02000-05-17 17 May 2000 Fox
51 Wings 14.2 10.2% 16% 01997-05-21 21 May 1997 NBC
52 JAG 14.0[76] 9.0% 15% 02005-04-29 29 April 2005 CBS
53 Mr. Belvedere 13.8 8.5% 16% 01990-07-08 8 July 1990 ABC
54 Lost 13.6 7.5% 13% 02010-05-23 23 May 2010 ABC
55 Evening Shade 13.5 9.6% 15% 01994-05-23 23 May 1994 CBS
55 The King of Queens 13.5 8.8% 13% 02007-05-14 14 May 2007 CBS
57 Doogie Howser, M.D. 13.4 9.2% 14% 01993-03-24 24 March 1993 ABC
58 Providence 13.3 9.0% 16% 02002-12-20 20 December 2002 NBC
59 Life Goes On 13.2 8.9% 17% 01993-05-23 23 May 1993 ABC
59 The X-Files 13.2[77] 7.9% 12% 02002-05-19 19 May 2002 Fox
61 Coach 13.1 9.3% 16% 01997-05-14 14 May 1997 ABC
62 Touched by an Angel 12.9[78] 8.9% 15% 02003-04-27 27 April 2003 CBS
62 Amen 12.9 8.3% 19% 01991-05-11 11 May 1991 NBC
64 Falcon Crest 12.3 9.3% 15% 01990-05-17 17 May 1990 CBS
65 3rd Rock from the Sun 11.9 7.9% 13% 02001-05-22 22 May 2001 NBC
65 The Sopranos 11.9 6.5% 11% 02007-06-10 10 June 2007 HBO
67 Empty Nest 11.6 8.7% 17% 01995-04-29 29 April 1995 NBC
68 Ally McBeal 11.5 7.5% 11% 02002-05-20 20 May 2002 Fox
69 Homicide: Life on the Street 11.4 8.4% 15% 01999-05-21 21 May 1999 NBC
70 Without a Trace 11.2 7.3% 12% 02009-05-19 19 May 2009 CBS
71 The Nanny 11.1 8.1% 14% 01999-05-12 12 May 1999 CBS
71 Picket Fences 11.1 8.2% 14% 01996-04-24 24 April 1996 CBS
73 The Practice 10.9 7.5% 13% 02004-05-16 16 May 2004 ABC
74 Walker, Texas Ranger 10.8 6.8% 13% 02001-05-19 19 May 2001 CBS
74 Judging Amy 10.8 7.6% 12% 02005-05-03 3 May 2005 CBS
76 Sex and the City 10.6[79]  ?  ? 02004-02-22 22 February 2004 HBO
76 Becker 10.6 7.3% 11% 02004-01-28 28 January 2004 CBS
78 Grace Under Fire 10.5 7.4% 11% 01998-02-17 17 February 1998 ABC
78 Highway to Heaven 10.5 7.1% 16% 01989-08-04 4 August 1989 NBC
80 Melrose Place 10.4 7.3% 12% 01999-05-24 24 May 1999 Fox
81 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 10.2 6.7% 15% 01998-05-16 16 May 1998 CBS
82 Sisters 10.1 7.1% 14% 01996-05-04 4 May 1996 NBC
82 The West Wing 10.1 6.2% 10% 02006-05-14 14 May 2006 NBC
84 That '70s Show 10.0 6.0% 10% 02006-05-18 18 May 2006 Fox
84 Boy Meets World 10.0 6.1% 12% 02000-05-05 5 May 2000 ABC
84 Cold Case 10.0 6.4% 11% 02010-05-02 2 May 2010 CBS
87 Boston Legal 9.9 6.2% 10% 02008-12-08 8 December 2008 ABC
87 Ellen 9.9 7.1% 11% 01998-05-13 13 May 1998 ABC
89 The District 9.7 6.6% 12% 02004-05-01 1 May 2004 CBS
90 The Unit 9.6 5.8% 10% 02009-05-10 10 May 2009 CBS
91 Monk 9.4[80][81] 5.5% 9% 02009-12-04 4 December 2009 USA Network
92 A Different World 9.3 6.6% 14% 01993-05-08 8 May 1993 NBC
93 Nash Bridges 9.1 6.3% 12% 02001-05-04 4 May 2001 CBS
94 The Pretender 9.0 6.2% 12% 02000-05-13 13 May 2000 NBC
95 Third Watch 9.0 6.1% 11% 02005-05-06 6 May 2005 NBC
96 24 8.9[82] 5.2% 8% 02010-05-24 24 May 2010 Fox
97 Star Trek: Voyager 8.8 5.5% 9% 02001-05-23 23 May 2001 UPN
98 Martin 8.6 5.8% 11% 01997-05-01 1 May 1997 Fox
98 NewsRadio 8.6 6.5% 11% 01999-05-04 4 May 1999 NBC
98 Moonlighting 8.6 5.7% 10% 01989-05-14 14 May 1989 ABC
101 Numb3rs 8.3 5.1% 9% 02010-05-14 14 May 2010 CBS
102 Ed 8.2 5.8% 10% 02004-02-06 6 February 2004 NBC
103 Caroline in the City 8.1 6.3% 10% 01999-04-26 26 April 1999 NBC
104 Las Vegas 8.0 5.0% 9% 02008-02-15 15 February 2008 NBC
105 Cosby 7.9 5.2% 10% 02000-04-28 28 April 2000 CBS
106 Law & Order 7.8 5.1% 9% 02010-05-24 24 May 2010 NBC
106 Drake and Josh 7.8 5.0% 9% 02007-08-03 3 August 2007 Nickelodeon
106 Medium 7.8 4.9% 9% 02011-01-21 21 January 2011 CBS
109 Malcolm in the Middle 7.5 4.8% 7% 02006-05-14 14 May 2006 Fox
109 Chicago Hope 7.5 5.8% 9% 02000-05-04 4 May 2000 CBS
109 227 7.5 5.0% 8% 01990-05-06 6 May 1990 NBC
111 Dawson's Creek 7.3 4.8% 7% 02003-05-14 14 May 2003 WB
112 Profiler 7.2 5.2% 10% 02000-05-06 6 May 2000 NBC
112 Brothers & Sisters 7.2[83] 4.9 % 8% 02011-05-08 8 May 2011 ABC
114 The New Adventures of Old Christine 7.1 4.6% 6% 02010-05-12 12 May 2010 CBS
115 Spin City 6.9 4.8% 7% 02002-04-30 30 April 2002 ABC
116 Ghost Whisperer 6.8 4.4% 9% 02010-05-21 21 May 2010 CBS
117 Alias 6.7 4.5% 7% 02006-05-22 22 May 2006 ABC
117 Dharma & Greg 6.7 4.7% 8% 02002-04-30 30 April 2002 ABC
119 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 6.6 4.5% 5% 01999-06-02 2 June 1999 Syndication
119 The O.C. 6.6 4.2% 6% 02007-02-22 22 February 2007 Fox
119 Diagnosis: Murder 6.6 4.9% 10% 02001-05-11 11 May 2001 CBS
122 Party of Five 6.5 4.8% 8% 02000-05-03 3 May 2000 Fox
122 Yes, Dear 6.5 4.4% 6% 02006-02-15 15 February 2006 CBS
122 Living Single 6.5 4.5% 7% 01998-01-01 1 January 1998 Fox
125 Crossing Jordan 6.4 4.3% 7% 02007-05-16 16 May 2007 NBC
125 Family Matters 6.4 4.5% 8% 01998-07-17 17 July 1998 CBS
127 Step by Step 6.3 4.3% 8% 01998-06-26 26 June 1998 CBS
128 Hannah Montana 6.2 3.5% 5% 02011-01-16 16 January 2011 Disney Channel
129 King of the Hill 6.0 3.5% 5% 02009-09-13 13 September 2009 Fox
130 My Wife and Kids 5.9 4.2% 7% 02005-05-17 17 May 2005 ABC
131 Ugly Betty 5.7 4.2% 7% 02010-04-15 15 April 2010 ABC
132 The Drew Carey Show 5.4 3.7% 7% 02004-09-08 8 September 2004 ABC
133 Angel 5.3 3.3% 5% 02004-05-19 19 May 2004 WB
134 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4.9 2.9% 5% 02003-05-20 20 May 2003 UPN
134 Gilmore Girls 4.9 3.1% 5% 02007-05-15 15 May 2007 CW
136 My Name Is Earl 4.8 3.2% 6% 02009-05-14 14 May 2009 NBC
137 Sister, Sister 4.7 3.3% 6% 01999-05-23 23 May 1999 WB
138 George Lopez 4.6 3.1% 5% 02007-05-08 8 May 2007 ABC
139 Charmed 4.5 2.8% 5% 02006-05-21 21 May 2006 WB
140 Reba 4.4 2.8% 5% 02007-02-18 18 February 2007 CW
140 The Parkers 4.4 2.8% 5% 02004-05-10 10 May 2004 UPN
140 Heroes 4.4 2.8% 4% 02010-02-08 8 February 2010 NBC
143 According to Jim 4.1 2.5% 4% 02009-06-02 2 June 2009 ABC
143 Everwood 4.1 2.6% 4% 02006-06-05 5 June 2006 WB
143 Joey 4.1[84] 2.5% 4% 02010-02-08 8 February 2010 NBC
146 Star Trek: Enterprise 3.8 2.2% 4% 02005-05-13 13 May 2005 UPN
147 Felicity 3.7 2.6% 4% 02002-05-22 22 May 2002 WB
148 Scrubs 3.5 2.3% 4% 02010-03-17 17 March 2010 ABC
149 7th Heaven 3.3 2.1% 4% 02007-05-13 13 May 2007 CW
149 Prison Break 3.3 2.0% 4% 02009-05-15 15 May 2009 Fox
151 Smallville 3.2[85] 1.8% 3% 02011-05-13 13 May 2011 The CW
152 Guiding Light 3.0 2.2% 3% 02009-09-18 18 September 2009 CBS
152 WCW Monday Night Nitro 3.0 2.2% 3% 02001-03-26 26 March 2001 TNT
154 As the World Turns 2.8 2.1% 3% 02010-09-17 17 September 2010 CBS
155 Battlestar Galactica 2.4[86] 1.4% 3% 02009-03-20 20 March 2009 Syfy
156 Rescue Me 2.3[87] N/A N/A 02011-09-07 7 September 2011 FX
157 Stargate SG-1 2.2 N/A N/A 02007-03-13 13 March 2007 Sci-Fi Channel
158 Dollhouse 2.1[88] 0.8% 3% 02010-01-29 29 January 2010 Fox
158 Veronica Mars 2.1 0.8% 2% 02007-05-22 22 May 2007 CW
160 Nip/Tuck 1.9[89] 1.3% 2% 02010-03-03 3 March 2010 FX

The finale is not necessarily a show's most watched episode. Friends, for example, had 52.9 million viewers for a 1996 episode that followed Super Bowl XXX. 7th Heaven's initial finale was watched by 7.8 million on the WB, but was picked up by the new network The CW, however the show was cancelled after another season and its final episode was watched by 3.3 million people.

[edit] M*A*S*H and Cheers finales

The number of viewers for M*A*S*H (105.9 million) and Cheers (80.4 million) are the numbers most commonly reported. M*A*S*H has also been reported at 121.6 million viewers and Cheers has been reported at 93.1 million viewers.[68][90] For M*A*S*H, 121.6 million represents the total audience who watched at least six minutes and the 105.9 million represents the viewers who watched the average minute.[91] Regular episodes of M*A*S*H were thirty minutes long, but the final episode was two hours and thirty minutes.

[edit] Most watched U.S. TV series

Nielsen began compiling ratings for television beginning in 1950. Prior to that year, television ratings were compiled by a number of other sources, including C. E. Hooper (which was bought out by Nielsen in February 1950) and Variety.

American Idol holds the record for most consecutive seasons at #1, with eight, while All in the Family, and The Cosby Show share second place for most consecutive seasons at #1, with five each.

These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen rating in each television season:

[edit] 1950s
Season Show Network
1950–1951 Texaco Star Theater NBC
1951–1952 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts CBS
1952–1953 I Love Lucy
1953–1954
1954–1955
1955–1956 The $64,000 Question
1956–1957 I Love Lucy
1957–1958 Gunsmoke
1958–1959
1959–1960
[edit] 1960s
Season Show Network
1960–1961 Gunsmoke CBS
1961–1962 Wagon Train NBC
1962–1963 The Beverly Hillbillies CBS
1963–1964
1964–1965 Bonanza NBC
1965–1966
1966–1967
1967–1968 The Andy Griffith Show CBS
1968–1969 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In NBC
1969–1970
[edit] 1970s
Season Show Network
1970–1971 Marcus Welby, M.D. ABC
1971–1972 All in the Family CBS
1972–1973
1973–1974
1974–1975
1975–1976
1976–1977 Happy Days ABC
1977–1978 Laverne and Shirley
1978–1979
1979–1980 60 Minutes CBS
[edit] 1980s
Season Show Network
1980–1981 Dallas CBS
1981–1982
1982–1983 60 Minutes
1983–1984 Dallas
1984–1985 Dynasty ABC
1985–1986 The Cosby Show NBC
1986–1987
1987–1988
1988–1989
1989–1990 (tie) The Cosby Show
(tie) Roseanne ABC
[edit] 1990s
Season Show Network
1990–1991 Cheers NBC
1991–1992 60 Minutes CBS
1992–1993
1993–1994
1994–1995 Seinfeld NBC
1995–1996 ER
1996–1997
1997–1998 Seinfeld
1998–1999 ER
1999–2000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC
[edit] 2000s
Season Show Network
2000–2001 Survivor:Australian Outback CBS
2001–2002 Friends NBC
2002–2003 CSI CBS
2003–2004 American Idol Fox
2004–2005
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–2008
2008–2009
2009–2010
[edit] 2010s
Season Show Network
2010–2011 American Idol Fox
2011–2012 American Idol Fox

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