What's the most watched event in TV history?

[LoveDaBlues]

According to CNN the recent Superbowl was the most watched event in TV History!!

GEAUX SAINTS!

BLESS YOU BOYS!

WHO DAT!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

[biscuitz]

nah landing on the moon.... 1969, dont forget in them days its was b&w and not everyone hada tv so there was a crowd around watching each tele, unlike the super bowl were you mite geta m8 or 2 round wiva few beers, so prob yeh on teles but not by the amount of ppl actually watching the event

[lighspur1]

Yeah they announced on cnn that this years superbowl was the most watched with the final episode of MASH at # 2.

[Tilokarat]

Be careful about what you read on things like this. It often means the most watched event in American TV history, and not the world.

One would think that the World Cup, the Olympics and others might be more watched than an event taking place in the U.S.A.

Think about all of those Chinese watching the Olympics, and all of those people around the world watching the World Cup. The Super Bowl does not attract that much attention in other parts of this planet.

[BobHelm]

It is very much an estimate Tilo, but it does beat the World Cup & the Olympics as well - according to all I have read.
The EPL is actually probably the actual most watched event in TV & that happens nearly every week - well 9 months of the year. The "legal" number watching it is 600 million households. By "legal" I mean those paying an annual subscription to do so. This is estimated at being equal to 1.2 million people. (2 per household seems a fair average to me) plus, in the UK, you have viewers watching it in bars, plus you have people (who do not want to pay) watching it on live video screening on PC, plus lucky individuals like me who can watch games for free via 'off shore' tv providers.

[Galee]

According to CNN the recent Superbowl was the most watched event in TV History!!

I think it's way short of the estimated 1 billion who tuned into the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic games.

[Tilokarat]

I just googled most watched tv event in world history and it came up with the opening ceremonies for the Olympics in China. As Galee mentioned, the estimate is 1 billion viewers.

CNN probably is talking about most watched TV event in American history. Wiki lists the Super Bowl and MASH as the two most-watched events in American TV history. The U.S. tends to forget about the rest of the world when it talks about most this and most that.

Yes, the EPL is popular throughout the world on a regular basis.

[LoveDaBlues]

Yes, it's possible the announcer said most watched in US TV history. I wasn't paying that close attention; first cup of coffee and all that.

Regardless, it was still one of the most watched events ever on TV. I'm glad the Saints won although I am a Peyton Manning fan. Attended my first Saints game in 1970 when Tom Dempsey kicked a still-record 63 yard field goal at the end of the game to beat the Detroit Lions 19-17.

After hurricane Katrina that region needs some good vibes!

[Texpat]

1. I doubt a US-specific sporting event can claim single most-watched status in the history of TV. The numbers don't suggest it. Who outside the US and maybe Canada watches American football?

2.Perhaps I am jaded after having spent months in Indonesia mopping up after the tsunami, but hurricane Katrina was, comparatively, child's play. When I listened to TV commentators, six months later, compare the two I was speechless. Katrina was a Cat 3 (of 5) storm and the loss of life was nearly 100% preventable.

[thedude]

Well these stats for most watched sporting event, from The Economist (& those schoolboys should know, right?):

This year's Super Bowl set a record for the largest ever American television audience, with 106.5m football fans tuning in to see the New Orleans Saints triumph over the Indianapolis Colts. Globally around 121m viewers are estimated to have watched the game, 15m more than the year before, according to Futures Sport + Entertainment, a media consultancy that tracks audience data in 55 countries.

In 2009, according to their data, only the Champions League football final in Europe attracted a larger audience. Other events (and sports) are much less popular, though some, such as Twenty20 cricket, probably draw far more viewers than indicated, partly because of the difficulty in getting accurate data from poorer countries.

[vlad]

I always thought Prince Charle's wedding to Diana or live Aid was the tops for world wide audiance figures,

[WBU ALUM]

Attended my first Saints game in 1970 when Tom Dempsey kicked a still-record 63 yard field goal at the end of the game to beat the Detroit Lions 19-17.

You and about 1 million others claim to be there in that stadium holding less than 100,000.

[WBU ALUM]

2.Perhaps I am jaded after having spent months in Indonesia mopping up after the tsunami, but hurricane Katrina was, comparatively, child's play. When I listened to TV commentators, six months later, compare the two I was speechless. Katrina was a Cat 3 (of 5) storm and the loss of life was nearly 100% preventable.

Correct.

Storm didn't even hit NOLA. Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After it passed NOLA, and the people realized that they had dodged a bullet again, they were out in the street and getting ready for just another day after a near miss.

Counterclockwise winds pushed Lake Pontchartrain water through the levies on the north side of NOLA. The flooding from broken levies is what hit NOLA, not Katrina. And yes, nearly all of the loss of life was preventable.

[poolshark]

here is a question for you all.
what annual sporting event has the most spectators watching it ? (not t.v.viewers)
have a few guesses and i will give you the answer later.

[Tilokarat]

I'll bite with the following for an annual live sporting match:

1) Tennessee - Alabama football game

2) The Rose Bowl

3) India-Pakistan cricket game

4) The FA Cup in England

I hope the answer is not some ridiculous golf tournament.