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The following is a list of most watched television broadcasts in the United States based on average viewership and household ratings measurement conducted by Nielsen. The
The following is the list of the all-time most watched single-network television broadcasts in the United States by average viewership, according to Nielsen. Of the 32 most-watched broadcasts, 30 are ' s 1980 "
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...
has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
is currently the most watched U.S. television broadcast with 114.4 million viewers.
Most watched broadcasts of all time
The following is the list of the all-time most watched single-network television broadcasts in the United States by average viewership, according to Nielsen. Of the 32 most-watched broadcasts, 30 are Super Bowls
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
. Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
, with 114.4 million viewers, is number one. The most watched non-Super Bowl broadcasts are the finale of ''M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
T ...
'' in 1983 (106 million viewers), ''Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
''Who Done It Who Done It? may refer to:
* Who Done It? (1942 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1942 film), an Abbott and Costello film
* Who Done It? (1949 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1949 film), a Three Stooges short
* Who Done It? (1956 film), ''Who Done It?'' (1956 film ...
" episode (83.6 million), the 1993 series finale of ''Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
'' (80.5 million), the February 23, 1994, broadcast of ladies' singles figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fr ...
(78.8 million), the 1983 television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''The Day After
''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film during its initial broadcast. With ...
'' (77.4 million), the concluding chapter of ''Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
'' in 1977 (76.7 million), and the ''Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...
'' finale
Finale may refer to:
Pieces of music
* Finale (music), the last movement of a piece
* ''Finale'' (album), a 1977 album by Loggins and Messina
* "Finale B", a 1996 song from the rock opera ''Rent''
* "Finale", a song by Anthrax from ''State of E ...
in 1998 (76.3 million).
Series by year
The highest-rated broadcasts of all time
The highest-rated broadcast of all time is the final episode of ''M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
T ...
'' in 1983, with 60.2% of all households with television sets in the United States at that time watching the episode. Aside from Super Bowls, the most recent broadcast to receive a rating above 40 was the ''Seinfeld'' finale in 1998, with a 41.3.
Nielsen only began recording a list of ratings for individual broadcasts starting in July 1960, therefore ratings before that time are not included in their official count.
Timeline
The following is a timeline of the highest rated television broadcasts since December 17, 1960.Series by year
The following is a list of the highest rated television series by year.Notes
See also
*List of most-watched television broadcasts
This page lists the television broadcasts which had the most viewers within individual countries, as measured by ratings and research agencies in those countries. The research methodology and choice of statistics varies between sources, and is ex ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Most watched television broadcasts in the United States Most watched Top television lists