List of most-watched television broadcasts

This article lists the television broadcasts that 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 explained in individual sections.

Because many events are watched simultaneously around the world and recorded programs are exported to multiple countries, it is difficult to collate reliable figures for global audiences. Those countries where reliable figures are available may use incompatible methodologies, such as the minimum age of counted viewers, and what proportion of the program must be watched when measuring the "reach" of a program, rather than its average or peak audience.^[1] Figures published by organisers and journalists are routinely exaggerated or misrepresented, claiming billions of viewers worldwide, where independent analysis suggests few if any broadcasts have reached 1 billion viewers.^[2][3]

Although numbers are unreliable, it is generally accepted that the most widely watched events worldwide are international sporting events such as the Summer Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup,^[3] and the Cricket World Cup^[4] with annual events such as the Super Bowl in the U.S., the Indian Premier League in India^[5] and the UEFA Champions League finals in Europe picking up large regional audiences.^[6] Other broadcasts frequently claimed to have broken records include news events such as the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing,^[7][8] funerals of significant figures such as Michael Jackson,^[9] Diana, Princess of Wales,^[10][11] or Elizabeth II, and music events such as the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert,^[12] 1993 Super Bowl Halftime Show.^[13][14][15]