The official yearly broadcast numbers are in for 2023, and the results prove once again that the NFL is king.
Professional football games have long been the most viewed television programs to be broadcast over American airwaves, but it has recently taken an even more dominant position, thanks in large part to added interest through gambling and fantasy sports.
NFL Dominates Airwaves Again In 2023
The NFL accounted for 93 out of the top 100 most-watched broadcasts in 2023, via @Sportico.
No other sport besides football made the list.
There’s dominant, then there’s this: pic.twitter.com/hzxH6Xe38l
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 5, 2024
The numbers are impossible to deny, especially this past year. During the 2023 calendar year, of the 100 most-watched broadcasts anywhere on TV, 93 of them were NFL games (per Nielson).
But isn’t it like that every season? Not quite. Just one year prior, “only” 82 of the top 100 were NFL-related, and 75 the year before that. In fact, just five years ago, the number was all the way down to 61, showing the massive increase in interest in the sport in recent seasons.
All of the top 20 most-watched were NFL games. #21 was the State of the Union address, which was viewed on multiple networks. #45 was the Macy’s Day Parade. Three of the most-viewed broadcasts were college football games (#58, #71, #74). The Academy Awards came in at #60.
Perhaps surprisingly, episode 12 of Next Level Chef on FOX made the list at #92. But the fact that it was the lead-out to the Super Bowl makes it far more believable.
2024 Could Be A Down Year When It Comes To Football Viewership
The most-watched TV shows of the past four years:
• Super Bowls 🏈🏆
• Presidential Debates 🇺🇸🎙️
• NFL Playoffs 🏈 pic.twitter.com/kstjFQ40Dw— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) January 5, 2024
Look for 2024 to be a bit different. It is, of course, an election year, meaning that there will be plenty of focus and attention on political happenings, which will certainly affect the television ratings numbers. There is also the added factor of the Olympics, which will have a high viewership for events such as the Opening Ceremonies.
The top four spots on the 2023 list were the Super Bowl and the most important of the playoff games. At #5 was the first regular season game, which was the afternoon contest on Thanksgiving between the Cowboys and Commanders. #10 was the Christmas Eve matchup between the Cowboys and Dolphins. The highest-rated non-holiday regular season game was the Bills vs. Eagles contest back in Week 12, which came in at #12 on the list.
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