List of most-watched television episodes
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The following is a list of most watched television episodes, organized by country and based on various criteria.
Contents |
[edit] United Kingdom
[edit] 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 | December 25, 1986 | BBC1 |
| 2 | Coronation Street | Alan Bradley killed by tram | 26.93 million | December 8, 1989 | ITV |
| 3 | Coronation Street | Hilda Ogden leaves | 26.00+ million<ref>Hilda and Stan UK's most romantic. Daily Mail (February 8, 2002). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | December 25, 1987 | ITV |
| 4 | Only Fools and Horses | Time On Our Hands | 24.35 million | December 29, 1996 | BBC1 |
| 5 | EastEnders | Pat Butcher runs down little girl | 24.30 million | January 2, 1992 | BBC |
| 6 | Royal Variety Performance | Shirley Bassey, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore | 24.20 million | November 14, 1965 | ITV |
| 7 | To the Manor Born | Series 1 Finale | 23.95 million | November 11, 1979 | BBC1 |
| 8 | Dallas | "Who Done It?" aka "Who Shot J.R.?" | 21.60 million | November 22, 1980 | BBC1 |
[edit] One-off events
(by total number of viewers, [2])
| Rank | Event | Number of viewers | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1966 World Cup Final | 32.30 million | July 30, 1966 | BBC/ITV |
| 2 | Funeral of Princess Diana | 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 11, 1970 | BBC1/ITV |
| 6 | Royal Wedding of Charles & Diana | 28.40 million | July 29, 1981 | BBC1/ITV |
| 7 | Princess Anne Wedding | 27.60 million | November 14, 1973 | BBC1 |
| 8 | JFK assassination news | 24.15 million | November 22, 1963 | BBC1/ITV |
[edit] Most watched movies
(by total number of viewers, [3]; dates are when the movies aired, not necessarily when they were produced.)
| Rank | Movie | 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 | ITV |
[edit] 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).
[edit] Top 30 Network Primetime Telecasts of All Time
(from January 1964 to June 2006; ranked by "Household Rating", 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)
[edit] 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)
| Rank | Show or episode | Number of viewers | Percentage of households | Share | Date | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super Bowl XL (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks) | 90.7 million<ref name="mlm_xl">Azote, Abigail (February 8, 2006). From 'Supernatural,' a boost from Bush. Media Life Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 41.6% | 62% | February 5, 2006 | ABC |
| 2 | Super Bowl XXXVIII (New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers and Janet Jackson performs at halftime) | 89.8 million<ref name="sb">VNU Media and Marketing Guide for Super Bowl. Nielsen Media Research (February 2, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 41.4% | 63% | February 1, 2004 | CBS |
| 3 | Super Bowl XXXIX (New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles) | 86.1 million<ref>Super Bowl Earns Super Ratings. Associated Press (February 6, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 41.1% | 62% | February 6, 2005 | FOX |
| 4 | Super Bowl XXXVII (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders) | 88.6 million<ref name="sb" /> | 40.7% | 61% | January 26, 2003 | ABC |
| 5 | Super Bowl XXXIV (St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans) | 88.5 million<ref name="sb" /> | 43.3% | 63% | January 30, 2000 | ABC |
| 6 | Super Bowl XXXVI (New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams) | 86.8 million<ref name="sb" /> | 40.4% | 61% | February 3, 2002 | FOX |
| 7 | Super Bowl XXXV (Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants) | 84.3 million<ref name="sb" /> | 40.4% | 61% | January 28, 2001 | CBS |
| 8 | Friends series finale: "The Last One" | 52.5 million<ref>Vasquez, Diego (May 12, 2004). Gadzooks! A not so perky 'Survivor.'. Media Life Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref> | 29.8% | 43% | May 6, 2004 | NBC |
| 9 | Survivor season 1 finale: "The Final Four" | 51.7 million<ref>Armstrong, Mark (August 24, 2000). "Survivor" Richard: Bigger than Oscar. E! Online. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 28.2% | 44% | August 23, 2000 | CBS |
| 10 | 72nd Academy Awards: American Beauty wins Best Picture | 46.3 million<ref name="usatoday_oscar">Bowles, Scott (January 26, 2005). Oscars lack blockbuster to lure TV viewers. USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 29.2% | 48% | March 26, 2000 | ABC |
| 11 | AFC Championship Game of 2004 NFL Season (New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) | 44.3 million<ref>Fitzgerald, Toni (January 31, 2005). Terrell Owens, Fox is rooting for you. Media Life Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.</ref> | 25.8% | 38% | January 23, 2005 | CBS |
| 12 | 75th Academy Awards: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins Best Picture | 43.5 million<ref name="usatoday_oscar" /> | 26.0% | 40% | February 29, 2004 | ABC |
| 13 | XIX Olympic Winter Games: Ladies' figure skating - long program | 43.3 million<ref>Byrne, Bridget (February 26, 2002). Olympics Runs Rings Around Ratings. E! Online. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref> | 26.8% | 41% | February 21, 2002 | NBC |
[edit] Note
- I Love Lucy's season two episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" garnered a greater percentage of American homes viewing the episode than the M*A*S*H series finale. 71.8% of American households with television sets (and a 92% share)<ref>I Love Lucy: Lucy Goes to the Hospital. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref>, which equated to more than 44 million viewers<ref>Television Top 100: The 1950s. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.</ref>, were tuned in to watch the birth of Little Ricky.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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:
[edit] World
There are no exact figures available for global television events, but it stands to reason that live shows that are broadcast in many countries at once, for example the Eurovision Song Contest or the FIFA World Cup, would be among the most watched. Many believe Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii was the most watched program of all time, recording 90% of households in some countries
