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List of most-watched television episodes
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The following is a list of most-watched television broadcasts, organized by country and based on various criteria.
lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2202914",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2202914")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/China_Central_Television">China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala has regularly attracted between 700 million and one billion viewers since the early 1980s. 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.
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.
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Encyclopedia
The following is a list of most-watched television broadcasts, organized by country and based on various criteria.
China
China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala has regularly attracted between 700 million and one billion viewers since the early 1980s. 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.
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. The programme, broadcast on one of China's three channels from 1981 to 1989, has been estimated to have attracted a nightly audience of 350 million people during the early 1980s.
Denmark
The TV series Matador originally aired on DR between November 1978 and January 1982, but has enjoyed repeated successful reruns in 1984-85, 1989-90, 1997-98 and 2006-07. The 1985 airing of the series finale still stands as the most viewed ever in Danish TV history, with appr. 3.6 million viewers on May 26 that year, this in a country of some 5.1 million people.
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.
| Rank | Series | Number of Viewers | Share | Network |
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| 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
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 | Die Schwarzwaldklinik | "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:
- Public viewing areas were not implied to these ratings.
- The approximated rating is about 60 to 70 million.
- The extra time reached even 31.31 million viewers.
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- For all UEFA Euro 2008 ratings, see .
- 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.
Most-watched ProSieben telecasts of all time
| Rank | Film | Number of Viewers | Market Share | Date |
|---|
| 1 | Manitou's Shoe: Extra Large | 12.21 million | 32.0% | March 7, 2004 | | 2 | Jurassic Park | 9.87 million | 26.8% | January 12, 1997 | | 3 | Mission: Impossible | 8.68 million | 25.3% | April 18, 1999 | | 4 | Independence Day – Special Edition | 8.58 million | 28.6% | April 4, 1999 | | 5 | Forrest Gump | 8.39 million | 27.5% | November 1, 1997 | | 6 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | 8.10 million | 24.8% | October 15, 2006 | | 7 | Independence Day | 8.07 million | 24.6% | January 13, 2002 | | 8 | Mrs. Doubtfire | 7.88 million | 26.9% | September 28, 1996 | | 9 | McFit Fight Night | 7.74 million | 34.9% | March 30, 2007 | | 10 | Speed | 7.60 million | 26.1% | September 27, 1997 | | 11 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | 7.59 million | 21.3% | November 14, 1993 | | 12 | The Da Vinci Code | 7.49 million | 22.7% | October 12, 2008 | | 13 | Men in Black | 7.40 million | 20.3% | February 3, 2002 | |
United Kingdom
Most-watched episodes
(by total number of viewers)
One-off events
(by total number of viewers)
Most-watched films
(by total number of viewers; dates are when the films were broadcast, not necessarily when they were produced.)
United States
Sources: , ,
Highest rated network telecasts
Elvis Presley's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and the "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" episode of I Love Lucy hold the record as the highest rated telecasts of all time.
Top 45 network primetime telecasts of all time (1964-Present)
(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: and )
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, the Internet has also drawn viewers away from television. Future programs with viewership levels (in terms of percentage of TV households) that rank high on this list are probably unlikely to exist in the foreseeable future except for a Super Bowl.
The 45 shows on this list could be grouped into just five categories:
- 21 are NFL 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).
- Nine 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 premier of the classic movie Gone With the Wind, one year of 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.
| Rank | Show or Episode | Number of Households | Percent of Households | Share | Date | Network |
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| 1 | M*A*S*H series finale: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" | 50.15 million | 60.2% | 77% | February 28, 1983 | CBS | | 2 | Dallas episode: "Who Done It?" aka "Who Shot J.R.?" | 41.47 million | 53.3% | 76% | November 21, 1980 | CBS | | 3 | Roots Part VIII (finale) | 36.38 million | 51.1% | 71% | January 30, 1977 | ABC | | 4 | Super Bowl XVI (San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals) | 40.02 million | 49.1% | 73% | January 24, 1982 | CBS | | 5 | Super Bowl XVII (Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins) | 40.48 million | 48.6% | 69% | January 30, 1983 | NBC | | 6 | XVII Winter Olympics: Ladies' figure skating - short program
featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding | 45.69 million | 48.5% | 64% | February 23, 1994 | CBS | | 7 | Super Bowl XX (Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots) | 41.49 million | 48.3% | 70% | January 26, 1986 | NBC | | 8 | Gone with the Wind telecast (part 1) | 33.96 million | 47.7% | 65% | November 7, 1976 | NBC | | 9 | Gone with the Wind telecast (part 2) | 33.75 million | 47.4% | 64% | November 8, 1976 | NBC | | 10 | Super Bowl XII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos) | 34.41 million | 47.2% | 67% | January 15, 1978 | CBS | | 11 | Super Bowl XIII (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys) | 35.09 million | 47.1% | 74% | January 21, 1979 | NBC | | 12 | Bob Hope Christmas Special | 27.26 million | 46.6% | 64% | January 15, 1970 | NBC | | 13 | Super Bowl XVIII (L.A. Raiders vs. Washington Redskins) | 38.88 million | 46.4% | 71% | January 22, 1984 | CBS | | 14 | Super Bowl XIX (San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins) | 39.39 million | 46.4% | 63% | January 20, 1985 | ABC | | 15 | Super Bowl XIV (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams) | 35.33 million | 46.3% | 67% | January 20, 1980 | CBS | | 16 | Super Bowl XXX (Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) | 44.15 million | 46.0% | 68% | January 28, 1996 | NBC | | 17 | Film: The Day After | 38.55 million | 46.0% | 62% | November 20, 1983 | ABC | | 18 | Roots Part VI | 32.68 million | 45.9% | 66% | January 28, 1977 | ABC | | 18 | The Fugitive series finale: "The Judgement: Part 2" | 25.70 million | 45.9% | 72% | August 29, 1967 | ABC | | 20 | Super Bowl XXI (New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos) | 40.03 million | 45.8% | 66% | January 25, 1987 | CBS | | 21 | Roots Part V | 32.54 million | 45.7% | 71% | January 27, 1977 | ABC | | 22 | Super Bowl XXVIII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) | 42.86 million | 45.5% | 66% | January 30, 1994 | NBC | | 22 | Cheers series finale: "One For The Road" | 42.36 million | 45.5% | 64% | May 20, 1993 | NBC | | 24 | The Ed Sullivan Show: Beatles' first appearance | 23.24 million | 45.3% | 60% | February 9, 1964 | CBS | | 25 | Super Bowl XXVII (Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills) | 41.99 million | 45.1% | 66% | January 31, 1993 | NBC | | 26 | Bob Hope Christmas Show | 27.05 million | 45.0% | 61% | January 14, 1971 | NBC | | 27 | Roots Part III | 31.90 million | 44.8% | 68% | January 25, 1977 | ABC | | 28 | Super Bowl XXXII (Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers) | 43.63 million | 44.5% | 67% | January 25, 1998 | NBC | | 29 | Super Bowl XI (Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings) | 31.61 million | 44.4% | 73% | January 9, 1977 | NBC | | 30 | Super Bowl XV (Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles) | 34.54 million | 44.4% | 63% | January 25, 1981 | NBC | | 31 | Super Bowl VI (Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins) | 27.45 million | 44.2% | 74% | January 16, 1972 | CBS | | 32 | XVII Winter Olympics: Ladies' figure skating - long program
featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding | 41.54 million | 44.1% | 62% | February 25, 1994 | CBS | | 33 | Roots Part II | 31.40 million | 44.1% | 62% | January 24, 1977 | ABC | | 34 | Beverly Hillbillies: "The Giant Jackrabbit" | 22.57 million | 44.0% | 65% | January 8, 1964 | CBS | | 35 | Roots Part IV | 31.19 million | 43.8% | 66% | January 26, 1977 | ABC | | 35 | The Ed Sullivan Show: Beatles' second appearance | 22.445 million | 43.8% | 60% | February 16, 1964 | CBS | | 37 | Super Bowl XXIII (Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers) | 39.32 million | 43.5% | 68% | January 22, 1989 | NBC | | 38 | 42nd Academy Awards | 25.39 million | 43.4% | 78% | April 7, 1970 | ABC | | 39 | Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans) | 43.62 million | 43.3% | 63% | January 30, 2000 | ABC | | 39 | Super Bowl XXXI (New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers) | 42.00 million | 43.3% | 65% | January 26, 1997 | FOX | | 41 | The Thorn Birds Part III | 35.99 million | 43.2% | 62% | March 29, 1983 | ABC | | 42 | Super Bowl XLII (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) | 48.66 million | 43.1% | 65% | February 3, 2008 | FOX | | 42 | The Thorn Birds Part IV | 35.90 million | 43.1% | 62% | March 30, 1983 | ABC | | 44 | 1981 NFC Championship Game
(Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers) | 34.96 million | 42.9% | 62% | January 10, 1982 | CBS | | 45 | Beverly Hillbillies: "The Girl from Home" | 21.96 million | 42.8% | 62% | January 15, 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: and )
| Rank | Show or Episode | Number of Viewers | Percent of Households | Share | Date | Network |
|---|
| 1 | Super Bowl XLIII
(Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals) | 98.7 million | 42.1% | 65% | February 1, 2009 | NBC | | 2 | Super Bowl XLII
(New England Patriots vs. New York Giants) | 97.5 million | 43.3% | 65% | February 3, 2008 | FOX | | 3 | Super Bowl XLI
(Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears) | 93.2 million | 42.6% | 64% | February 4, 2007 | CBS | | 4 | Super Bowl XL
(Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks) | 90.7 million | 41.6% | 62% | February 5, 2006 | ABC | | 5 | Super Bowl XXXVIII
(New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers) | 144.4 million | 41.4% | 63% | February 1, 2004 | CBS | | 6 | Super Bowl XXXIX
(New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles) | 86.1 million | 41.1% | 62% | February 6, 2005 | FOX | | 7 | Super Bowl XXXVII
(Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders) | 88.6 million | 40.7% | 61% | January 26, 2003 | ABC | | 8 | Super Bowl XXXIV
(St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans) | 88.5 million | 43.3% | 63% | January 30, 2000 | ABC | | 9 | Super Bowl XXXVI
(New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams) | 86.8 million | 40.4% | 61% | February 3, 2002 | FOX | | 10 | Super Bowl XXXV
(Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants) | 84.3 million | 40.4% | 61% | January 28, 2001 | CBS | | 11 | 2007 NFC Championship Game
(Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants) | 53.9 million | 29.0% | 43% | January 20, 2008 | FOX | | 12 | Friends series finale: "The Last One" | 52.5 million | 29.8% | 43% | May 6, 2004 | NBC | | 13 | Survivor season 1 finale: "The Final Four" | 51.7 million | 28.2% | 44% | August 23, 2000 | CBS | | 14 | 2006 AFC Championship Game
(New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts) | 46.7 million | 26.4% | 39% | January 21, 2007 | CBS | | 15 | 72nd Academy Awards | 46.3 million | 29.2% | 48% | March 26, 2000 | ABC | | 16 | XIX Olympic Winter Games: Opening Ceremony | 45.6 million | 25.5% | 42% | February 8, 2002 | NBC | | 17 | 2004 AFC Championship Game
(New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) | 44.3 million | 25.8% | 38% | January 23, 2005 | CBS | | 18 | 76th Academy Awards | 43.5 million | 26.0% | 40% | February 29, 2004 | ABC | | 19 | XIX Olympic Winter Games:
Ladies' figure skating - long program | 43.3 million | 26.8% | 41% | February 21, 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 |
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| 1 | M*A*S*H | 105.9 | 60.2% | 77% | February 28, 1983 | CBS | | 2 | Cheers | 80.4 | 45.5% | 64% | May 20, 1993 | NBC | | 3 | Seinfeld | 76.3 | 41.3% | 58% | May 14, 1998 | NBC | | 4 | Friends | 52.5 | 29.8% | 43% | May 6, 2004 | NBC | | 5 | Magnum, P.I. | 50.7 | 32.0% | 48% | May 1, 1988 | CBS | | 6 | The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson | 50.0 | ? | ? | May 22, 1992 | NBC | | 7 | The Cosby Show | 44.4 | 28.0% | 45% | April 30, 1992 | NBC | | 8 | All in the Family | 40.2 | 26.6% | 43% | April 8, 1979 | CBS | | 9 | Family Ties | 36.3 | 20.8% | 35% | May 14, 1989 | NBC | | 10 | Home Improvement | 35.5 | 21.6% | 34% | May 25, 1999 | ABC | | 11 | Dallas | 33.3 | 22.0% | 38% | May 3, 1991 | CBS | | 12 | Everybody Loves Raymond | 32.9 | 20.2% | 29% | May 16, 2005 | CBS | | 13 | Gunsmoke | 30.9 | ? | ? | March 31, 1975 | CBS | | 14 | The Fugitive | 30.0 | 45.9% | 72% | August 29, 1967 | ABC | | 15 | Newhart | 29.5 | 18.7% | 29% | May 21, 1990 | CBS | | 16 | The Golden Girls | 27.2 | 18.9% | 38% | May 9, 1992 | NBC | | 17 | Frasier | 25.2 | 16.3% | 25% | May 13, 2004 | NBC | | 18 | Night Court | 24.6 | 16.5% | 26% | May 13, 1992 | NBC | | 19 | Full House | 24.3 | 14.6% | 25% | May 23, 1995 | ABC | | 20 | St. Elsewhere | 22.5 | ? | ? | May 25, 1988 | NBC | | 21 | MacGyver | 22.3 | 13.8% | 26% | May 21, 1992 | ABC | | 22 | L.A. Law | 22.1 | 15.9% | 27% | May 19, 1994 | NBC | | 23 | ALF | 21.7 | 13.1% | 24% | March 24, 1990 | NBC | | 24 | Growing Pains | 21.1 | 13.3% | 24% | April 25, 1992 | ABC | | 25 | The Wonder Years | 21.0 | 13.9% | 23% | May 12, 1993 | ABC | | 26 | Quantum Leap | 20.6 | 13.7% | 23% | May 5, 1993 | NBC | | 27 | Who's the Boss? | 20.5 | 12.7% | 24% | April 25, 1992 | ABC | | 28 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | 19.9 | 13.1% | 22% | May 20, 1996 | NBC | | 29 | Mad About You | 19.8 | 13.6% | 20% | May 24, 1999 | NBC | | 30 | Knots Landing | 19.6 | 13.9% | 22% | May 13, 1993 | CBS | | 31 | Bonanza | 19.3 | ? | ? | January 16, 1973 | NBC | | 32 | Will & Grace | 18.4 | 11.7% | 18% | May 18, 2006 | NBC | | 33 | The Facts of Life | 18.2 | 13.2% | 29% | May 7, 1988 | NBC | | 34 | Jake and the Fatman | 18.1 | 12.9% | 20% | May 6, 1992 | CBS | | 35 | Major Dad | 17.9 | 12.6% | 20% | April 16, 1993 | CBS | | 36 | Murphy Brown | 17.5 | 12.3% | 19% | May 18, 1998 | CBS | | 37 | Roseanne | 16.6 | 11.6% | 19% | May 20, 1997 | ABC | | 38 | NYPD Blue | 16.1 | 10.4% | 17% | March 1, 2005 | ABC | | 39 | Miami Vice | 16.1 | 11.0% | 21% | June 28, 1989 | NBC | | 40 | Married... with Children | 15.2 | 10.0% | 16% | May 5, 1997 | FOX | | 41 | Kate & Allie | 14.9 | 11.9% | 20% | May 22, 1989 | CBS | | 42 | Dynasty | 14.7 | 10.8% | 17% | May 11, 1989 | ABC | | 43 | Monday Night Football | 14.4 | 9.2% | 16% | December 26, 2005 | ABC | | 44 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | 14.4 | 9.6% | 15% | May 17, 2000 | FOX | | 45 | Wings | 14.2 | 10.2% | 16% | May 21, 1997 | NBC | | 46 | JAG | 14.0 | 9.0% | 15% | April 29, 2005 | CBS | | 47 | The King of Queens | 13.5 | 8.8% | 13% | May 14, 2007 | CBS | | 48 | Providence | 13.3 | 9.0% | 16% | December 20, 2002 | NBC | | 49 | Life Goes On | 13.2 | 8.9% | 17% | May 23, 1993 | ABC | | 50 | The X-Files | 13.2 | 7.9% | 12% | May 19, 2002 | FOX | | 51 | Coach | 13.1 | 9.3% | 16% | May 14, 1997 | ABC | | 52 | Touched by an Angel | 12.9 | 8.9% | 15% | April 27, 2003 | CBS | | 53 | Falcon Crest | 12.3 | 9.3% | 15% | May 17, 1990 | CBS | | 54 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | 11.9 | 7.9% | 13% | May 22, 2001 | NBC | | 55 | The Sopranos | 11.9 | ? | ? | June 10, 2007 | HBO | | 56 | Ally McBeal | 11.5 | 7.5% | 11% | May 20, 2002 | FOX | | 57 | The Nanny | 11.1 | 8.1% | 14% | May 12, 1999 | CBS | | 58 | The Practice | 10.9 | 7.5% | 13% | May 16, 2004 | ABC | | 59 | Walker, Texas Ranger | 10.8 | 6.8% | 13% | May 19, 2001 | CBS | | 60 | Judging Amy | 10.8 | 7.6% | 12% | May 3, 2005 | CBS | | 61 | Sex and the City | 10.6 | ? | ? | February 22, 2004 | HBO | | 62 | Melrose Place | 10.4 | 7.3% | 12% | May 24, 1999 | FOX | | 63 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | 10.2 | 6.7% | 15% | May 16, 1998 | CBS | | 64 | The West Wing | 10.1 | 6.2% | 10% | May 14, 2006 | NBC | | 65 | That '70s Show | 9.8 | ? | ? | May 18, 2006 | FOX | | 66 | A Different World | 9.3 | 6.6% | 14% | May 8, 1993 | NBC | | 67 | Cosby | 7.5 | 5.2% | 10% | April 28, 2000 | CBS | | 68 | Malcolm in the Middle | 7.4 | ? | ? | May 14, 2006 | FOX |
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.
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.
These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen rating in each television season:
1950-1979
1980-present
World
There are no exact figures available for global television events. However, 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.
Such statistics have, however, proved controversial, failing to stand up to scrutiny, and audience figures cited in billions are practically unverifiable.
As noted above, China Central Television regularly achieves audiences in the hundreds of millions for its Spring Festival Gala and Xinwen Lianbo.
It is popularly believed that the British TV show Top Gear is one of the most watched shows around the world. It is broadcast in 117 countries and is purportedly watched by up to one billion people.
The most popular regular-broadcast sports event and TV program 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. 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.
The funeral of Princess Diana was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people.
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