TV Basics: Top 50 Sports Telecasts of All Time
Forty-one of the top 50 sports programs are Super Bowl games. In third place
is the XVII Winter Olympics (2/23/94); this ratings spike can be attributed to the Harding/Kerrigan "incident."


Rank Program Date Network HH
Rating
1 Super Bowl XVI 1/24/1982 CBS 49.1  
2 Super Bowl XVII 1/30/1983 NBC 48.6  
3 XVII Winter Olympics 2/23/1994 CBS 48.5  
4 Super Bowl XX 1/26/1986 NBC 48.3  
5 Super Bowl XII 1/15/1978 CBS 47.2  
6 Super Bowl XIII 1/21/1979 NBC 47.1  
7 Super Bowl XVIII 1/22/1984 CBS 46.4  
7 Super Bowl XIX 1/20/1985 ABC 46.4  
9 Super Bowl XIV 1/20/1980 CBS 46.3  
10 Super Bowl XXX 1/28/1996 NBC 46.0  
11 Super Bowl XXI 1/25/1987 CBS 45.8  
12 Super Bowl XXVIII 1/29/1994 NBC 45.5  
13 Super Bowl XXVII 1/31/1993 NBC 45.1  
14 Sauper Bowl XLIV 2/7/2010 CBS 45.0  
15 Super Bowl XXXII 1/25/1998 NBC 44.5  
16 Super Bowl XI 1/9/1977 NBC 44.4  
16 Super Bowl XV 1/25/1981 NBC 44.4  
18 Super Bowl VI 1/16/1972 CBS 44.2  
19 XVII Winter Olympics 2/25/1994 CBS 44.1  
20 Super Bowl XXIII 1/22/1989 NBC 43.5  
21 Super Bowl XXXI 1/26/1997 FOX 43.3  
21 Super Bowl XXXIV 1/30/2000 ABC 43.3  
23 Super Bowl XLII 2/3/2008 FOX 43.1  
24 NFC Championship Game 1/10/1982 CBS 42.9  
25 Super Bowl VII 1/14/1973 NBC 42.7  
26 Super Bowl XLI 2/4/2007 CBS 42.6  
27 Super Bowl IX 1/12/1975 NBC 42.4  
28 Super Bowl X 1/18/1976 CBS 42.3  
29 Super Bowl XLIII 2/1/2009 NBC 42.0  
30 Super Bowl XXV 1/27/1991 ABC 41.9  
30 Super Bowl XXII 1/31/1988 ABC 41.9  
32 Super Bowl VIII 1/13/1974 CBS 41.6  
32 Super Bowl XL 2/5/2006 ABC 41.6  
34 Super Bowl XXXVIII 2/1/2004 CBS 41.4  
35 Super Bowl XXIX 1/29/1995 ABC 41.3  
36 Super Bowl XXXIX 2/6/2005 FOX 41.1  
37 Super Bowl XXXVII 1/6/2003 ABC 40.7  
38 Super Bowl XXXVI 2/3/2002 FOX 40.4  
38 Super Bowl XXXV 1/28/2001 CBS 40.4  
40 Super Bowl XXVI 1/26/1992 CBS 40.3  
41 Super Bowl XXXIII 1/31/1999 FOX 40.2  
42 World Series Game #6 10/21/1980 NBC 40.0  
43 Super Bowl V 1/17/1971 NBC 39.9  
44 World Series Game #7 10/22/1975 NBC 39.6  
45 World Series Game #4 10/6/1963 NBC 39.5  
46 Super Bowl IV 1/11/1970 CBS 39.4  
47 Super Bowl XXIV 1/28/1990 CBS 39.0  
48 World Series Game #7 10/27/1986 NBC 38.9  
49 World Series Game #7 10/20/1982 NBC 38.2  
50 WBA Heavyweight Championship 9/15/1978 ABC 37.3  
50 Heavyweight Boxing Championship 9/29/1977 NBC 37.3  


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