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EspañolLIST OF MOST-WATCHED TELEVISION BROADCASTS
(Redirected from List of most-watched television episodes)
The following is a 'list of most watched television broadcasts', organized by country and based on various criteria.
''(by total number of viewers, [1]; source: British Film Institute)''
''(by total number of viewers, [2])''
''(by total number of viewers, [3]; dates are when the films aired, not necessarily when they were produced.)''
''Sources: BBC, Reuters, Nielsen Media Research''
Some sources, such as PBS [4] and the official website of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization [5], describe the heavily-promoted made-for-television production of ''Cinderella'', broadcast once on CBS in 1957, as the most-watched television show. According to those sources, it garnered 107 million viewers, more than the ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' finale cited in most lists. Based on Census Bureau mid-year population estimates [6], ''Cinderella'' would have had to attract an audience representing 62.2% of the U.S. population (171.9 million), compared with the 45.3% that ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' attracted (of 233.8 million).
(from January 1964 to June 2006; 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. With the ubiquity of cable and satellite television, typical American households have a far greater choice of programming: dozens 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.
(from January 1, 2000 to the present; share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program; ''source: Nielsen Media Research and TV Basics'')
(by total viewers; ''source: Reuters'')
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.
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 (was bought out by Nielsen in February of 1950) and ''Variety''.
These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen rating in each television season:
There are no exact figures available for global television events, however a report by media agency Initiative Worldwide stated that the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the most watched sporting event of that year with an average 260 million viewers per match [7]. The Eurovision Song Contest is generally watched by around 300 million people a year.
Many believe Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii was the most watched program of all time, recording 90% of households in some countries.
1. Hilda and Stan UK's most romantic
2. XCIII Million Watch Super Bowl XLI
3. From 'Supernatural,' a boost from Bush
4. VNU Media and Marketing Guide for Super Bowl
5. Super Bowl Earns Super Ratings
6. Gadzooks! A not so perky 'Survivor.'
7. "Survivor" Richard: Bigger than Oscar
8. Oscars lack blockbuster to lure TV viewers
9. Terrell Owens, Fox is rooting for you
10. Olympics Runs Rings Around Ratings
11. Die erfolgreichsten Serien-Finale
12. Television Top 100: The 1960s
13. Die erfolgreichsten Serien-Finale
14. The Programming Insider
15. The Programming Insider
16. IMDb
17. The Programming Insider
18. The Programming Insider
The following is a 'list of most watched television broadcasts', organized by country and based on various criteria.
United Kingdom
Most watched episodes
''(by total number of viewers, [1]; source: British Film Institute)''
| Rank | Show | Episode | Number of viewers | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ''EastEnders'' | Den divorces Angie | 30.15 million | 25 December 1986 | BBC1 |
| 2 | ''Coronation Street'' | Alan Bradley killed by tram | 26.93 million | 8 December 1989 | ITV |
| 3 | ''Coronation Street'' | Hilda Ogden leaves | 26.00+ million[1] | 25 December 1987 | ITV |
| 4 | ''Only Fools and Horses'' | Time On Our Hands | 24.35 million | 29 December 1996 | BBC1 |
| 5 | ''EastEnders'' | Pat Butcher runs down little girl | 24.30 million | 2 January 1992 | BBC1 |
| 6 | ''Royal Variety Performance'' | Shirley Bassey, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore | 24.20 million | 14 November 1965 | ITV |
| 7 | ''To the Manor Born'' | Series 1 Finale | 23.95 million | 11 November 1979 | BBC1 |
| 8 | ''Dallas'' | "Who Done It?" aka "Who Shot J.R.?" | 21.60 million | 21 November 1980 | BBC1 |
One-off events
''(by total number of viewers, [2])''
| Rank | Event | Number of viewers | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ''1966 World Cup Final'' | 32.30 million | 30 July 1966 | BBC/ITV |
| 2 | ''Funeral of Princess Diana'' | 32.10 million | 6 September 1997 | BBC1/ITV |
| 3 | ''British Royal Family documentary'' | 30.69 million | 1969 | BBC1/ITV |
| 4 | ''Apollo 13 splashdown'' | 28.60 million | 17 April 1970 | BBC1/ITV |
| 5 | ''FA Cup replay: Chelsea vs. Leeds'' | 28.49 million | 11 April 1970 | BBC1/ITV |
| 6 | ''Royal Wedding of Charles & Diana'' | 28.40 million | 29 July 1981 | BBC1/ITV |
| 7 | ''Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips '' | 27.60 million | 14 November 1973 | BBC1 |
| 8 | ''JFK assassination news'' | 24.15 million | 22 November 1963 | BBC1/ITV |
Most watched films
''(by total number of viewers, [3]; dates are when the films aired, not necessarily when they were produced.)''
| Rank | Movie | Number of viewers | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ''Live and Let Die'' | 23.50 million | 20 January 1980 | ITV |
| 2 | ''Jaws'' | 23.25 million | 8 October 1981 | ITV |
| 3 | ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' | 22.90 million | 28 March 1982 | ITV |
| 4 | ''Diamonds Are Forever'' | 22.15 million | 15 March 1981 | ITV |
| 5 | ''Crocodile Dundee'' | 21.75 million | 25 December 1989 | BBC1 |
United States
''Sources: BBC, Reuters, Nielsen Media Research''
Some sources, such as PBS [4] and the official website of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization [5], describe the heavily-promoted made-for-television production of ''Cinderella'', broadcast once on CBS in 1957, as the most-watched television show. According to those sources, it garnered 107 million viewers, more than the ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' finale cited in most lists. Based on Census Bureau mid-year population estimates [6], ''Cinderella'' would have had to attract an audience representing 62.2% of the U.S. population (171.9 million), compared with the 45.3% that ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' attracted (of 233.8 million).
Top 30 Network Primetime Telecasts of All Time
(from January 1964 to June 2006; 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. With the ubiquity of cable and satellite television, typical American households have a far greater choice of programming: dozens 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.
Top Network Primetime Telecasts since 2000 (by viewers)
(from January 1, 2000 to the present; share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to a specific program; ''source: Nielsen Media Research and TV Basics'')
Most watched Series Finales
(by total viewers; ''source: Reuters'')
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 shows (1950 to present)
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 (was bought out by Nielsen in February of 1950) and ''Variety''.
These are the programs that finished with the highest average Nielsen rating in each television season:
World
There are no exact figures available for global television events, however a report by media agency Initiative Worldwide stated that the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the most watched sporting event of that year with an average 260 million viewers per match [7]. The Eurovision Song Contest is generally watched by around 300 million people a year.
Many believe Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii was the most watched program of all time, recording 90% of households in some countries.
References
1. Hilda and Stan UK's most romantic
2. XCIII Million Watch Super Bowl XLI
3. From 'Supernatural,' a boost from Bush
4. VNU Media and Marketing Guide for Super Bowl
5. Super Bowl Earns Super Ratings
6. Gadzooks! A not so perky 'Survivor.'
7. "Survivor" Richard: Bigger than Oscar
8. Oscars lack blockbuster to lure TV viewers
9. Terrell Owens, Fox is rooting for you
10. Olympics Runs Rings Around Ratings
11. Die erfolgreichsten Serien-Finale
12. Television Top 100: The 1960s
13. Die erfolgreichsten Serien-Finale
14. The Programming Insider
15. The Programming Insider
16. IMDb
17. The Programming Insider
18. The Programming Insider
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