10 World’s Most-Watched Television Events

Television (TV) is a commonly used device that primarily provides us with information, news, sports, entertainment, and other topics. The majority of people in the world’s poorest countries still do not have access to television, in contrast to richer nations like the United States, Japan, and Europe, where over 95% of the population has access to television.

With around 2 billion viewers globally, the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony is the most-watched television program of all time, although according to the poll, about 4 billion people watched the entire 2008 Olympic event. Between the years 2000 and 2010, there were numerous records of the most-watched television events. The TV networks’ figures are based on a TV that was tuned in at the time of the event.

10. John F.Kennedy Funeral

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American politician and the 35th President of the United States. He was assassinated by a sniper in Dallas, Texas, in the United States of America on November 22, 1963. John F.Kennedy’s funeral was watched by around 180 million on television in 1963.

Numbers of Viewers: 180 million
Location: Washington, D.C, USA
Year: 1963
Watch the Funeral of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: https://youtu.be/3KJQkn6zUvM

9. Spring Festival Gala 2014

The Spring Festival Gala is a Chinese New Year celebration organized by CCTV (China Central Television) in the Chinese language. It is a 270-minute program that originally started on February 12, 1983. The 2014 edition of the Gala was watched by an estimated 300 million viewers worldwide, primarily from China.

Numbers of Viewers: 300 million
Location: China
Year: 2014
Watch Spring Festival Gala: https://youtu.be/7pKHsPcQot4

8. Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

A traditional wedding ceremony for Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011. The ceremony was viewed by millions, including YouTube live streams. Numerous nations, including those in Europe, Asia, and North America, watched this event.

Numbers of Viewers: 350-400 million
Location: Westminster Abbey, London, England
Year: 2011
Watch Wedding of Prince William and Catherine: https://youtu.be/JjAjSRZogGg

7. 2011 Cricket World Cup Semi Final (India vs Pakistan)

Political or diplomatic issues have repeatedly impacted their cricket relations since the two nations played their first international cricket match in 1952, including the suspension of cricket tours.

There was a lot of excitement as it became clear that the two sides would compete in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup’s second semi-final; the match even received comparisons to war. India won the game by 29 runs on March 30, 2011, at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, India.

Numbers of Viewers: 400 million
Location: Mohali, Punjab, India
Year: 2011
Watch 2011 India vs Pakistan Cricket World Cup: https://youtu.be/vPyqDLLxcG0

6. Aloha from Hawaii 1973

On January 14, 1973, a concert featuring Elvis Presley was broadcast live via satellite to viewers across Asia and Oceania and took place at the Honolulu International Center.

Numbers of Viewers: 400-500 million
Location: Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Year: 1973
Watch Aloha from Hawaii: https://youtu.be/zLmsZC45-m8

5. The funeral of Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was a dancer, singer, and songwriter, the most popular pop singer in the world. Michael died on June 5, 2009 (aged 50) of a cardiac arrest, buried in Glendale, California, U.S. The memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center, and an estimated 500 million people watched the event worldwide.

Numbers of Viewers: Around 500 million
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States
Year: 2009

Watch the Funeral of Michael Jackson – https://youtu.be/hFYF1H2UkRU

4. First Human Walk on a Surface of the Moon

Image Credit NASA

At midnight in 1969, 530 million people worldwide watched the first humans walk on the surface of the moon., despite the broadcast being limited to some countries and the availability of television worldwide at the time. This live global broadcast reached approximately 14% of the total population.
Numbers of Viewers: 530 million
Location: Landing on Moon
Year: 1969
Watch first human walk on surface of the Moon: https://youtu.be/S9HdPi9Ikhk

3. 2006 FIFA World Cup Final

A football final match event took place in Berlin, Germany, on July 9th, 2006, at the Olympiastadion Stadium. In the match between Italy and France, Italy beats France in a penalty shoot-out.
Numbers of Viewers: 715 million
Location: Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany
Year: 2006

Watch the FIFA World Cup Final 2006 – https://youtu.be/nELaL14ms7A

2. Rescue of Chilean Miners

Photo Credit: boston.com

The Chilean mining accident occurred on August 5, 2010 in a 121-year-old San Jose copper-gold mine located in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The rescue operation was televised globally, and more than 1 billion people watched it on TV and on the Internet.
Numbers of Viewers: 1 billion
Location: The Atacama Desert near Copiapo, Chile
Year: 2010
Watch Rescue of Chilean Miners: https://youtu.be/Tv8unnxymUs

1. 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony

Image Credit: wikimedia.org

The 2008 Summer Olympics set the official world record for the largest global viewership. It took place in Beijing, China, on August 8, 2008. Around 5 billion individual viewers have watched some part of the coverage. The opening ceremony was watched by over 2 billion people worldwide through TV and the Internet.
Numbers of Viewers: 2 billion
Location: Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
Year: 2008
Watch 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony: https://youtu.be/bufV3EgyPGU

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