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

Contents

Australia

The list below is the top ten most watched broadcasts in Australia since 2001. These figures only represent the Capital City audience and not the Regional audience.

Rank Show Number of Viewers Date Network
1 Australian Open: Men's Final (Lleyton Hewitt v Marat Safin) 4,045,000 2005 Channel Seven
2 2003 Rugby World Cup: Final (Australia v England) 4,016,000 2003 Channel Seven
3 Masterchef Australia 3,560,000 July 19, 2009 Channel Ten
4 2006 Commonwealth Games: Opening Ceremony 3,560,000 2006 Channel Nine
5 AFL Grand Final (Sydney Swans v West Coast Eagles) 3,386,000 2005 Channel Ten
6 Australian Idol: The final verdict 3,344,000 2004 Channel Ten
7 Masterchef Australia: Finale night 3,313,000 July 19, 2009 Channel Ten
8 Australian Idol: The final verdict 3,330,000 2006 Channel Ten
9 AFL Grand Final (West Coast Eagles v Sydney Swans) 3,145,000 2006 Channel Ten
10 The Block: Final 3,115,000 2003 Channel Nine

Top programmes

Nielsen then OZtam began compiling ratings for television beginning in 1956.

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

Season Show Network Network that won the year
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 (Most watched non-sporting event in Australia History) Ten Seven

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.[1][2] The programme, broadcast on one of China's three channels from 1981 to 1989,[1] has been estimated to have attracted a nightly audience of 350 million people during the early 1980s.[2]

Italy

Most-watched television series

In November, 2006, the Accademia dei Telefilm (Academy of Television) published its list of the most-watched television programmes in Italian history, based on the highest-rated episode for each series. The episodes all came from U.S. television programmes, with the top five consisting of ER, Beverly Hills 90210, House, Lost and Charmed. At the time of the survey, only Beverly Hills 90210 had finished its original run on Italian television, the rest were still airing.[3][4]

Rank Series Number of Viewers Share Network
1 ER 7.18 million 26.4% Rai Due
2 Beverly Hills, 90210 5.89 million 19.9% Italia 1
3 House 5.69 million 21.4% Italia 1
4 Lost 5.64 million 20.0% Rai Due
5 Charmed 5.21 million 18.8% Rai Due

Germany

Most-watched U.S. television series episodes

Rank Show Episode Number of Viewers Date Network
1 Columbo "How to Dial a Murder" 8.00 million September 21, 1992 RTL
2 Earth 2 "First Contact" 7.42 million October 29, 1995 RTL
3 seaQuest DSV "To Be or Not to Be" 6.99 million January 19, 1994 RTL
4 Ring of the Musketeers Part 1 6.93 million December 1, 1992 RTL
5 Lonesome Dove Episode 2 6.86 million January 11, 1992 Das Erste
6 Quincy, M.E. 6.73 million November 16, 1993 RTL

Top 8 primetime telecasts of all time

Rank Show Episode Number of Viewers Share Date Network
1 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Italy 29.66 million1, 2, 3 84.10% July 4, 2006 ZDF
2 UEFA Euro 2008 Germany vs Turkey 29.43 million1 81.80% June 25, 2008 ZDF
3 1990 FIFA World Cup West Germany vs Argentina 28.66 million July 9, 1990
4 UEFA Euro 1996 Germany vs Czech Republic 28.44 million 76.30% June 30, 1996 ZDF
5 UEFA Euro 2008 Austria vs Germany 28.04 million1 76.90% June 16, 2008 Das Erste
6 The Black Forest Clinic "Die Schuldfrage" 27.97 million November 17, 1985 ZDF
7 UEFA Euro 2008 Portugal vs Germany 27.70 million1 78.70% June 19, 2008
8 2002 FIFA World Cup Germany vs Brazil 27.09 million 88.00% June 30, 2002 ZDF
Notes:
  1. Public viewing areas were not implied to these ratings.
  1. The approximated rating is about 60 to 70 million.[5]
  1. The extra time reached even 31.31 million viewers.[6]
  • For all UEFA Euro 2008 ratings, see summarization here.
  • The Scarf, a thriller series by Francis Durbridge, got up to 89 per cent market share in January 1962. The number of viewers was not measured at that time. The series is still considered the biggest so-called "Straßenfeger" (a television broadcast which is so popular as to leave the streets deserted) in German television history. One year later, the Tim Frazer series by Durbridge went for a market share between 80 and 93 per cent.

United Kingdom

Most-watched episodes

(by total number of viewers)[7]

Rank Show Episode Number of Viewers Date Network
1 EastEnders Den divorces Angie. 30.15 million December 25, 1986 BBC1
2 Morecambe and Wise Morecame and Wise Christmas Show 28 million[8] December 25, 1977 BBC1
3 Coronation Street Alan Bradley killed by tram 26.93 million December 8, 1989 ITV1
4 Coronation Street Hilda Ogden leaves 26.00+ million[9] December 25, 1987 ITV1
5 Only Fools and Horses Time On Our Hands 24.35 million December 29, 1996 BBC1
6 EastEnders Pat Butcher runs down little girl 24.30 million December 25, 1992 BBC1
7 Royal Variety Performance Shirley Bassey, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore 24.20 million November 14, 1965 ITV1
8 To the Manor Born Series 1 Finale 23.95 million November 11, 1979 BBC1
9 EastEnders 23.18 million April 5, 2001 BBC1
10 Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special 21.34 million December 25, 2001 BBC1
11 Coronation Street Richard Hillman drives Platts into Quarry 19.43 million February 24, 2003 ITV1
12 Britain's Got Talent Series 3 Finale 18.29 million May 30, 2009 ITV1
13 Emmerdale Plane Crash 18.08 million December 30, 1993 ITV1

One-off events

(by total number of viewers)[7]

Apollo 13 splashdown.
Rank Episode Number of Viewers Date Network
1 1966 FIFA World Cup Final 32.30 million July 30, 1966 BBC/ITV
2 Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales 32.10 million September 6, 1997 BBC1/ITV
3 British Royal Family documentary 30.69 million 1969 BBC1/ITV
4 Apollo 13 splashdown 28.60 million April 17, 1970 BBC1/ITV
5 FA Cup replay: Chelsea vs. Leeds 28.49 million April 29, 1970 BBC1/ITV
6 Royal Wedding of Charles & Diana 28.40 million July 29, 1981 BBC1/ITV
7 Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips 27.60 million November 14, 1973 BBC1
8 JFK Assassination – News Broadcast 24.15 Million November 22, 1963 BBC1/ITV

Most-watched films

(by total number of viewers;[10] 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 January 20, 1980 ITV
2 Jaws 23.25 million October 8, 1981 ITV
3 The Spy Who Loved Me 22.90 million March 28, 1982 ITV
4 Diamonds Are Forever 22.15 million March 15, 1981 ITV
5 Crocodile Dundee 21.75 million December 25, 1989 BBC1

United States

Sources: BBC, Reuters, Nielsen Media Research

Highest rated network telecasts

The Beatles' and Elvis Presley's first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and the "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" episode of I Love Lucy hold the records as the highest rated telecasts of all time[citation needed].

The production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella that aired on CBS on March 31, 1957, has been claimed by some sources to have had an audience of 107 million viewers.[11][12]

Rank Show or Episode Number of Viewers Percent of Households Date Network
1 The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles first appearance 73 million[13] 45.1% 01964-02-09 9 February 1964 CBS
2 The Ed Sullivan Show: Elvis Presley's first appearance 60 million[14] 82.6% 01956-09-09 9 September 1956 CBS
3 I Love Lucy episode: "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" 44 million[15] 71.7% 01953-01-19 19 January 1953 CBS

Top 45 network primetime telecasts of all time (1964–2008)

(from January 1964 to February 2008; 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)

Few post-1990 telecasts are listed. Before Fox's launch in October 1986, the Big Three television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—dominated nationwide broadcasting. Today, with the ubiquity of cable and satellite television, 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, increased ease and prevalence of watching programming other than at its original airing (in reruns, by recording, by time-shifting, on an on-demand TV service, by internet download, etc.) decreases the need for masses of viewers to tune into a single broadcast as well. The Internet has also drawn viewers away from television.

The "peak" of these shows could be considered 1970–1994.

The 45 shows on this list could be grouped into just five categories:

  • 21 are National Football League playoff games (20 Super Bowls plus the 1981 NFC Championship game that preceded the highest ranked of these Super Bowls).
  • Eight are from mini series (six Roots and two The Thorn Birds)
  • Three are the final episode of a regular series (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 two "regular" television shows appear on this list: two episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies.

The allocation of the 45 shows across the four major US networks are: 15 shows 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.[16]

Rank Show or Episode Number of Households Percent of Households Share Date Network
1 M*A*S*H series finale: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"[17] 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: Ladies' 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 Gone with the Wind telecast (part 1) 33.96 million 47.7% 65% 01976-11-07 7 November 1976 NBC
9 Gone with the Wind telecast (part 2) 33.75 million 47.4% 64% 01976-11-08 8 November 1976 NBC
10 Super Bowl XII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos) 34.41 million 47.2% 67% 01978-01-15 15 January 1978 CBS
11 Super Bowl XIII (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys) 35.09 million 47.1% 74% 01979-01-21 21 January 1979 NBC
12 Bob Hope Christmas Special 27.26 million 46.6% 64% 01970-01-15 15 January 1970 NBC
13 Super Bowl XVIII (Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins) 38.88 million 46.4% 71% 01984-01-22 22 January 1984 CBS
14 Super Bowl XIX (San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins) 39.39 million 46.4% 63% 01985-01-20 20 January 1985 ABC
15 Super Bowl XIV (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams) 35.33 million 46.3% 67% 01980-01-20 20 January 1980 CBS
16 Super Bowl XXX (Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) 44.15 million 46.0% 68% 01996-01-28 28 January 1996 NBC
17 Film: The Day After 38.55 million 46.0% 62% 01983-11-20 20 November 1983 ABC
18 Roots Part VI 32.68 million 45.9% 66% 01977-01-28 28 January 1977 ABC
18 The Fugitive series finale: "The Judgement: Part 2" 25.70 million 45.9% 72% 01967-08-29 29 August 1967 ABC
20 Super Bowl XXI (New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos) 40.03 million 45.8% 66% 01987-01-25 25 January 1987 CBS
21 Roots Part V 32.54 million 45.7% 71% 01977-01-27 27 January 1977 ABC
22 Super Bowl XXVIII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) 42.86 million 45.5% 66% 01994-01-30 30 January 1994 NBC
22 Cheers series finale: "One for the Road" 42.36 million 45.5% 64% 01993-05-20 20 May 1993 NBC
24 The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles' first appearance[17] 23.24 million 45.3% 60% 01964-02-09 9 February 1964 CBS
25 Super Bowl XXVII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) 41.99 million 45.1% 66% 01993-01-31 31 January 1993 NBC
26 Bob Hope Christmas Show 27.05 million 45.0% 61% 01971-01-14 14 January 1971 NBC
27 Roots Part III 31.90 million 44.8% 68% 01977-01-25 25 January 1977 ABC
28 Super Bowl XXXII (Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers) 43.63 million 44.5% 67% 01998-01-25 25 January 1998 NBC
29 Super Bowl XI (Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings) 31.61 million 44.4% 73% 01977-01-09 9 January 1977 NBC
30 Super Bowl XV (Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles) 34.54 million 44.4% 63% 01981-01-25 25 January 1981 NBC
31 Super Bowl VI (Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins) 27.45 million 44.2% 74% 01972-01-16 16 January 1972 CBS
32 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
33 Roots Part II 31.40 million 44.1% 62% 01977-01-24 24 January 1977 ABC
34 The Beverly Hillbillies: "The Giant Jackrabbit" 22.57 million 44.0% 65% 01964-01-08 8 January 1964 CBS
35 Roots Part IV 31.19 million 43.8% 66% 01977-01-26 26 January 1977 ABC
35 The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles' second appearance 22.445 million 43.8% 60% 01964-02-16 16 February 1964 CBS
37 Super Bowl XXIII (Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers) 39.32 million 43.5% 68% 01989-01-22 22 January 1989 NBC
38 42nd Academy Awards 25.39 million 43.4% 78% 01970-04-07 7 April 1970 ABC
39 Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans) 43.62 million 43.3% 63% 02000-01-30 30 January 2000 ABC
39 Super Bowl XXXI (New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers) 42.00 million 43.3% 65% 01997-01-26 26 January 1997 Fox
41 The Thorn Birds Part III 35.99 million 43.2% 62% 01983-03-29 29 March 1983 ABC
42 Super Bowl XLII (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) 48.66 million 43.1% 65% 02008-02-03 3 February 2008 Fox
42 The Thorn Birds Part IV 35.90 million 43.1% 62% 01983-03-30 30 March 1983 ABC
44 1981 NFC Championship Game
(Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers)		 34.96 million 42.9% 62% 01982-01-10 10 January 1982 CBS
45 The Beverly Hillbillies: "The Girl from Home" 21.96 million 42.8% 62% 01964-01-15 15 January 1964 CBS

Top network primetime telecasts since 2000

(from January 1, 2000 to the present, by viewers; share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program; source: Nielsen Media Research and TV Basics)

All Super Bowl Ratings up to Super Bowl XLIII can be found in full here.[16]

Rank Show or Episode Number of Viewers Percent of Households Share Date Network
1 Super Bowl XLIV
(New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts)		 106.48 million[18] 45.0% 68% 7 February 2010 CBS
2 Super Bowl XLIII
(Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals)		 98.7 million[16] 42.0% 65% 02009-02-01 1 February 2009 NBC
3 Super Bowl XLII
(New England Patriots vs. New York Giants)		 97.5 million[19] 43.3% 65% 02008-02-03 3 February 2008 Fox
4 Super Bowl XLI
(Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears)		 93.2 million[20] 42.6% 64% 02007-02-04 4 February 2007 CBS
5 Super Bowl XL
(Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks)		 90.7 million[21] 41.6% 62% 02006-02-05 5 February 2006 ABC
6 Super Bowl XXXVIII
(New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers)		 88.4 million[22] 41.4% 63% 02004-02-01 1 February 2004 CBS
7 Super Bowl XXXIX
(New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles)		 86.1 million[23] 41.1% 62% 02005-02-06 6 February 2005 Fox
8 Super Bowl XXXVII
(Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders)		 88.6 million[22] 40.7% 61% 02003-01-26 26 January 2003 ABC
9 Super Bowl XXXIV
(St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans)		 88.5 million[22] 43.3% 63% 02000-01-30 30 January 2000 ABC
10 Super Bowl XXXVI
(New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams)		 86.8 million[22] 40.4% 61% 02002-02-03 3 February 2002 Fox
11 Super Bowl XXXV
(Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants)		 84.3 million[22] 40.4% 61% 02001-01-28 28 January 2001 CBS
12 2007 NFC Championship Game
(Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants)		 53.9 million[24] 29.0% 43% 02008-01-20 20 January 2008 Fox
13 Friends series finale: "The Last One" 52.5 million[25] 29.8% 43% 02004-05-06 6 May 2004 NBC
14 Survivor season 1 finale: "The Final Four" 51.7 million[26] 28.2% 44% 02000-08-23 23 August 2000 CBS
15 2006 AFC Championship Game
(New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts)		 46.7 million[27] 26.4% 39% 02007-01-21 21 January 2007 CBS
16 72nd Academy Awards 46.3 million[28] 29.2% 48% 02000-03-26 26 March 2000 ABC
17 XIX Olympic Winter Games: Opening Ceremony 45.6 million[29] 25.5% 42% 02002-02-08 8 February 2002 NBC
18 2004 AFC Championship Game
(New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)		 44.3 million[30] 25.8% 38% 02005-01-23 23 January 2005 CBS
19 76th Academy Awards 43.5 million[28] 26.0% 40% 02004-02-29 29 February 2004 ABC
20 XIX Olympic Winter Games:
Ladies' figure skating – long program		 43.3 million[31] 26.8% 41% 02002-02-21 21 February 2002 NBC

Most-watched series finales

(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 105.9[32] 60.2% 77%[33] February 28, 1983 CBS
2 Cheers 80.4[32] 45.5% 64%[33] May 20, 1993 NBC
3 Seinfeld 76.3[32] 41.3% 58% May 14, 1998 NBC
4 Friends 52.5[32][34] 29.8% 43% May 6, 2004 NBC
5 Magnum, P.I. 50.7[32][35] 32.0% 48% May 1, 1988 CBS
6 The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson		 50.0[32] N/A N/A May 22, 1992 NBC
7 The Cosby Show 44.4[32] 28.0% 45% April 30, 1992 NBC
8 All in the Family 40.2[32][35] 26.6% 43% April 8, 1979 CBS
9 Family Ties 36.3 20.8% 35% May 14, 1989 NBC
10 Home Improvement 35[36] 16.0%[36] 43%[36] May 25, 1999 ABC
11 Frasier 33.7[34] 16.3% 25% May 13, 2004 NBC
12 Dallas 33.3 22.0% 38% May 3, 1991 CBS
13 Everybody Loves Raymond 32.9[34] 20.2% 29% May 16, 2005 CBS
14 Gunsmoke 30.9[35] N/A N/A March 31, 1975 CBS
15 The Fugitive 30.0[37] 45.9% 72% August 29, 1967 ABC
16 Newhart 29.5 18.7% 29% May 21, 1990 CBS
17 Star Trek: The Next Generation 27.8 20% 34% May 23, 1994 Syndication
18 The Golden Girls 27.2 18.9% 38% May 9, 1992 NBC
19 Night Court 24.6 16.5% 26% May 13, 1992 NBC
20 Full House 24.3 14.6% 25% May 23, 1995 ABC
21 St. Elsewhere 22.5[35] ?  ? May 25, 1988 NBC
22 MacGyver 22.3 13.8% 26% May 21, 1992 ABC
23 Miami Vice 22.2 14.7% 23% May 21, 1989 NBC
24 L.A. Law 22.1 15.9% 27% May 19, 1994 NBC
25 ALF 21.7 13.1% 24% March 24, 1990 NBC
26 Growing Pains 21.1 13.3% 24% April 25, 1992 ABC
27 The Wonder Years 21.0 13.9% 23% May 12, 1993 ABC
28 Quantum Leap 20.6 13.7% 23% May 5, 1993 NBC
29 Who's the Boss? 20.5 12.7% 24% April 25, 1992 ABC
30 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 19.9 13.1% 22% May 20, 1996 NBC
31 Mad About You 19.8 13.6% 20% May 24, 1999 NBC
32 Knots Landing 19.6 13.9% 22% May 13, 1993 CBS
33 Bonanza 19.3[35]  ?  ? January 16, 1973 NBC
34 Designing Women 18.8 14.2% 22% May 24, 1993 CBS
35 Matlock 18.7 13.2% 20% May 7, 1995 ABC
36 Will & Grace 18.4 11.7% 18% May 18, 2006 NBC
37 The Facts of Life 18.2 13.2% 29% May 7, 1988 NBC
38 Jake and the Fatman 18.1 12.9% 20% May 6, 1992 CBS
39 Major Dad 17.9 12.6% 20% April 16, 1993 CBS
40 Murphy Brown 17.5 12.3% 19% May 18, 1998 CBS
41 Roseanne 16.6 11.6% 19% May 20, 1997 ABC
42 Murder, She Wrote 16.5 12.3% 21% May 19, 1996 CBS
43 ER 16.4 10.4% 17% April 2, 2009 NBC
44 NYPD Blue 16.1 10.4% 17% March 1, 2005 ABC
45 Miami Vice 16.1 11.0% 21% June 28, 1989 NBC
46 Married... with Children 15.2 10.0% 16% May 5, 1997 Fox
47 In the Heat of the Night 15.0 10.9% 17% May 16, 1995 CBS
48 Kate & Allie 14.9 11.9% 20% May 22, 1989 CBS
49 Dynasty 14.7 10.8% 17% May 11, 1989 ABC
50 Monday Night Football 14.4[38] 9.2% 16% December 26, 2005 ABC
51 Beverly Hills, 90210 14.4 9.6% 15% May 17, 2000 Fox
52 Wings 14.2 10.2% 16% May 21, 1997 NBC
53 JAG 14.0[39] 9.0% 15% April 29, 2005 CBS
54 Mr. Belvedere 13.8 8.5% 16% July 8, 1990 ABC
55 Evening Shade 13.5 9.6% 15% May 23, 1994 CBS
56 The King of Queens 13.5 8.8% 13% May 14, 2007 CBS
57 Doogie Howser, M.D. 13.4 9.2% 14% March 24, 1993 ABC
58 Providence 13.3 9.0% 16% December 20, 2002 NBC
59 Life Goes On 13.2 8.9% 17% May 23, 1993 ABC
60 The X-Files 13.2[40] 7.9% 12% May 19, 2002 Fox
61 Coach 13.1 9.3% 16% May 14, 1997 ABC
62 Touched by an Angel 12.9[41] 8.9% 15% April 27, 2003 CBS
63 Amen 12.9 8.3% 19% May 11, 1991 NBC
64 Falcon Crest 12.3 9.3% 15% May 17, 1990 CBS
65 3rd Rock from the Sun 11.9 7.9% 13% May 22, 2001 NBC
66 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 11.9[42]  ?  ? May 29, 2009 NBC
67 The Sopranos 11.9  ?  ? June 10, 2007 HBO
68 Empty Nest 11.6 8.7% 17% April 29, 1995 NBC
69 Ally McBeal 11.5 7.5% 11% May 20, 2002 Fox
70 Homicide: Life on the Street 11.4 8.4% 15% May 21, 1999 NBC
71 Without a Trace 11.2 7.3% 12% May 19, 2009 CBS
72 The Nanny 11.1 8.1% 14% May 12, 1999 CBS
73 Picket Fences 11.1 8.2% 14% April 24, 1996 CBS
74 The Practice 10.9 7.5% 13% May 16, 2004 ABC
75 Walker, Texas Ranger 10.8 6.8% 13% May 19, 2001 CBS
76 Judging Amy 10.8 7.6% 12% May 3, 2005 CBS
77 Sex and the City 10.6[43]  ?  ? February 22, 2004 HBO
78 Becker 10.6 7.3% 11% January 28, 2004 CBS
79 Grace Under Fire 10.5 7.4% 11% February 17, 1998 ABC
80 Highway to Heaven 10.5 7.1% 16% August 4, 1989 NBC
81 Melrose Place 10.4 7.3% 12% May 24, 1999 Fox
82 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 10.2 6.7% 15% May 16, 1998 CBS
83 Sisters 10.1 7.1% 14% May 4, 1996 NBC
84 The West Wing 10.1 6.2% 10% May 14, 2006 NBC
85 That '70s Show 10.0 6.0% 10% May 18, 2006 Fox
86 Boy Meets World 10.0 6.1% 12% May 5, 2000 ABC
87 Boston Legal 9.9 6.2% 10% December 8, 2008 ABC
88 Ellen 9.9 7.1% 11% May 13, 1998 ABC
89 The Unit 9.6 5.8% 10% May 10, 2009 CBS
90 Monk 9.4[44][45] 5.5% 9% December 4, 2009 USA Network
91 A Different World 9.3 6.6% 14% May 8, 1993 NBC
92 Nash Bridges 9.1 6.3% 12% May 4, 2001 CBS
93 The Pretender 9.0 6.2% 12% May 13, 2000 NBC
94 Third Watch 9.0 6.1% 11% May 6, 2005 NBC
95 Star Trek: Voyager 8.8 5.5% 9% May 23, 2001 UPN
96 Martin 8.6 5.8% 11% May 1, 1997 Fox
97 NewsRadio 8.6 6.5% 11% May 4, 1999 NBC
98 Moonlighting 8.6 5.7% 10% May 14, 1989 ABC
99 Ed 8.2 5.8% 10% February 6, 2004 NBC
100 Caroline in the City 8.1 6.3% 10% April 26, 1999 NBC
101 Las Vegas 8.0 5.0% 9% February 15, 2008 NBC
102 Cosby 7.9 5.2% 10% April 28, 2000 CBS
102 Malcolm in the Middle 7.5 4.8% 7% May 14, 2006 Fox
104 Chicago Hope 7.5 5.8% 9% May 4, 2000 CBS
105 227 7.5 5.0% 8% May 6, 1990 NBC
106 Dawson's Creek 7.3 4.8% 7% May 14, 2003 WB
107 Profiler 7.2 5.2% 10% May 6, 2000 NBC
108 Spin City 6.9 4.8% 7% April 30, 2002 ABC
109 Alias 6.7 4.5% 7% May 22, 2006 ABC
110 Dharma & Greg 6.7 4.7% 8% April 30, 2002 ABC
111 The O.C. 6.6 4.2% 6% February 22, 2007 Fox
112 Diagnosis Murder 6.6 4.9% 10% May 11, 2001 CBS
113 Party of Five 6.5 4.8% 8% May 3, 2000 Fox
114 Yes, Dear 6.5 4.4% 6% February 15, 2006 CBS
115 Living Single 6.5 4.5% 7% January 1, 1998 Fox
116 Crossing Jordan 6.4 4.3% 7% May 16, 2007 NBC
117 Family Matters 6.4 4.5% 8% July 17, 1998 CBS
118 Step by Step 6.3 4.3% 8% June 26, 1998 CBS
119 King of the Hill 6.0 3.5% 5% September 13, 2009 Fox
120 My Wife and Kids 5.9 4.2% 7% May 17, 2005 ABC
121 The Drew Carey Show 5.4 3.7% 6% September 8, 2004 ABC
122 Angel 5.3 3.3% 5% May 19, 2004 WB
123 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4.9 2.9% 5% May 20, 2003 UPN
124 Gilmore Girls 4.9 3.1% 5% May 15, 2007 CW
125 My Name Is Earl 4.8 3.2% 6% May 14, 2009 NBC
126 Sister, Sister 4.7 3.3% 6% May 23, 1999 WB
127 George Lopez 4.6 3.1% 5% May 8, 2007 ABC
128 Charmed 4.5 2.8% 5% May 21, 2006 WB
129 Reba 4.4 2.8% 5% February 18, 2007 CW
130 The Parkers 4.4 2.8% 5% May 10, 2004 UPN
131 According to Jim 4.1 2.5% 4% June 2, 2009 ABC
132 Everwood 4.1 2.6% 4% June 5, 2006 WB
133 Star Trek: Enterprise 3.8 2.2% 4% May 13, 2005 UPN
134 Felicity 3.7 2.6% 4% May 22, 2002 WB
135 7th Heaven 3.3 2.1% 4% May 13, 2007 CW
136 Prison Break 3.3 2.0% 4% May 15, 2009 Fox
137 Guiding Light 3.0 2.2% 3% September 18, 2009 CBS
138 WCW Monday Night Nitro 3.0 2.2% 3% March 26, 2001 TNT
139 Eli Stone 2.8 1.9% 4% July 11, 2009 ABC
140 Pushing Daisies 2.2 1.3% 3% June 13, 2009 ABC
141 Dirty Sexy Money 2.2 1.5% 3% August 8, 2009 ABC
142 Brothers 2.1 1.4% 2% December 27, 2009 Fox
143 Kings 1.8 1.3% 3% July 25, 2009 NBC

The most-watched 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.

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.[33][46] 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.[47]

Annual top-rated 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.

All in the Family, American Idol, and The Cosby Show share the record 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:

1950–1979

Season Show Network
1950–1951 Texaco Star Theater NBC
1951–1952 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts CBS
1952–1953 I Love Lucy CBS
1953–1954
1954–1955
1955–1956 The $64,000 Question CBS
1956–1957 I Love Lucy CBS
1957–1958 Gunsmoke CBS
1958–1959
1959–1960
1960–1961
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
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 ABC
1978–1979
1979–1980 60 Minutes CBS

1980–present

Season Show Network
1980–1981 Dallas CBS
1981–1982
1982–1983 60 Minutes CBS
1983–1984 Dallas CBS
1984–1985 Dynasty ABC
1985–1986 The Cosby Show NBC
1986–1987
1987–1988
1988–1989
1989–1990 (tie) The Cosby Show NBC
(tie) Roseanne ABC
1990–1991 Cheers NBC
1991–1992 60 Minutes CBS
1992–1993
1993–1994 Home Improvement ABC
1994–1995 Seinfeld NBC
1995–1996 ER NBC
1996–1997
1997–1998 Seinfeld NBC
1998–1999 ER NBC
1999–2000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC
2000–2001 Survivor CBS
2001–2002 Friends NBC
2002–2003 CSI CBS
2003–2004
2004–2005 American Idol Fox
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–2008
2008–2009
2009–2010 NCIS CBS

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.[48]

While for these reasons here are no exact figures available for global television events, a report by IPG media agency Initiative Worldwide stated that the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the most-watched sporting event of that year with an average 95 Million viewers per match.[49]

As noted above, China Central Television regularly achieves audiences in the hundreds of millions for its Spring Festival Gala and Xinwen Lianbo.[citation needed]

The most popular regular-broadcast sports event and TV programme is the English Premier League. It is broadcast to 600 million households in 202 countries and reportedly watched by more than 1.2 billion people per week.[50] Even this figure may be an underestimate as the number of people watching are said to watch on pirated set top boxes and illegal Internet streams.[51]

On July 20, 1969, over 600 million people watched the Apollo 11 landing of the first ever humans to walk on the surface of the moon.[52]

A satellite broadcast for an Elvis Presley show live from Hawaii, titled "Aloha from Hawaii" on January 14, 1973 is reported to have reached over 1 billion viewers globally.[53][54] Some breakdowns of the figures suggest 40% of the Japanese television audience,[55] and 91.8% of the television audience in the Philippines,[56] with an estimated 51% of the American television audience[55] when it aired later in America on April 4, 1973.[55][57]

The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales was watched by 2.5 billion people.[58][59]

The funeral of Pope John Paul II was watched by over 2 billion people worldwide.[60]

During the 2008 Olympics, it's estimated that 1 billion watched the Men's Basketball game between China and the USA.

On 7 July 2009, following the death of Michael Jackson, it is estimated his funeral was seen by more than 1 billion people worldwide.[61]

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