These 7 Most-Watched Televised Events Of All Time Had Viewers On the Edge of Their Seats
Which of these TV programs do you think drew in the biggest audience?
The first time man walked on the moon and many Super Bowl games rank among some of the most-watched TV programs of all time, raking in millions of viewers for the massive, televised events. Whether these programs were a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime moment or a yearly occurrence, audiences continue to top themselves, tuning into these events.
Check out some of the most-watched televised events of all time, a few that had major cultural impacts!
1. Apollo 11 moon landing
This moment has gone down as one of the most-watched televised events of all time, even today. On July 20, 1969, passengers on Apollo 11 — Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin — took man’s very first steps on the moon. Around 650 million people tuned in to watch worldwide, with nearly 125-150 million viewers from the United States alone.
2. Super Bowl LVIII
The most recent NFL championship game, Super Bowl LVIII, was the most-watched of all the 58 Super Bowls. On February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers, making it the team’s fourth win overall. The game drew in over 120 million viewers in total, almost 10 million more than the year prior.
3. Richard Nixon’s Resignation Speech
The massive Watergate scandal occurred in 1972, leading to abuses from the Nixon administration, including President Nixon himself. On August 8, 1974, the President addressed the United States from the Oval Office, announcing his resignation. This event gathered an audience of about 110 million viewers.
4. ‘M*A*S*H’ series finale
High up on the list with over 100 million viewers was the series finale of the sitcom, M*A*S*H. The final episode of the series drew in 105.9 million viewers to say goodbye to the staff of 4077 M*A*S*H unit. This finale was the most-viewed TV finale of all time, and its record still hasn’t been beaten.
5. Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show with Michael Jackson
It comes as no surprise that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, drew in the most viewers of a Super Bowl Halftime Show with about 102 million people. Jackson’s performance started with the singer standing silently for 2 full minutes before jamming out to a mashup of his biggest hits.
6. O.J. Simpson police chase
Although this is quite a different televised event from the Super Bowl’s and TV series finales, the O.J. Simpson police chase was certainly something that caught audience’s attention. Airing across multiple TV stations, the June 17, 1994, chase of the white Bronco carrying Simpson occurred on the 405 in Los Angeles and garnered about 95 million viewers. It lasted for nearly 90 minutes, from 6 pm to just before 8 pm, when he surrendered at his home.
7. The Beatles debut on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’
This televised event didn’t have quite as many viewers as some of the others on this list, but the Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the most massive cultural phenomena of its time as it marked the beginning of Beatlemania. The performance gathered 73 million viewers, making it the most-viewed television event of its time.
This appearance by the Beatles was the most-watched performance on The Ed Sullivan Show and allowed the English rock group to skyrocket in America. Although they were huge in England already, this performance was only the beginning of their infinitely successful career.
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