Back in the old days, the comparative lack of TV channels meant that everyone used to watch pretty much the same thing.
These days, there are so many channels and other entertainment options that this is clearly no longer the case. However, if we look back over the last few decades we will see a number of shows and events that have captured the attention of millions. So what was the most watched TV event in history?
Most Watched TV Event or Show in History
The Moon Landing
The first event to spring to mind is the Apollo moon landing in 1969. After all, some estimates have it that a fifth of the humans alive at the time watched it. However, the best guess I could find is that 500-600 million people watched Neil Armstrong take a small step.
Princess Diana´s Funeral
When Princess Diana died in a French road tunnel in 1997 the world was shocked. Even now, some 18 years later, there are tons of conspiracy theories about how she was killed by the Queen or M15 or Charles Aznavour. Actually, I´m pretty sure that Charles has a rock solid alibi for that day. Anyway, an estimated 2 to 2.5 billion pairs of eyes watched Di´s funeral at Westminster Abbey.
JFK Funeral
It is said that around a million people paid their respects to JFK personally in 1963. I can´t find any statistics for how many people followed it on the TV but anecdotal evidence suggests that just about everyone in the US watched it. In the UK 24 million viewers followed it. It seems safe to say that it is near the top of the list of most watched TV events as well.
The 2015 Superbowl
The Seattle Seahawks game against the Denver Broncos didn´t make much of an impression with viewers elsewhere in the world but it was the most watched TV event in US history. 111.5 million viewers tuned in, beating the 2012 and 2010 Superbowl viewing figures by a small margin.
The 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony
Do you remember the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony? You sure as heck should, as you almost certainly watched it. The estimated figures for the worldwide television audience go as high as 2 billion, which would make it close to Diana´s funeral for the title of most watched TV event of all time.
MASH
Apparently the most watched finale of a TV series in the US was good old MASH back in 1983. The tale of Korean War medics ended with Hawkeye, Winchester and the rest causing a few tears to be shed in Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. Some sources suggest that as many as 125 million people watched it, giving it a 77% audience share.
9/11 Attacks
It is pretty depressing to see that so many of the events on this list are such sad events. For some strange reason, this is the only event or show on the list that I watched live. We switched on a TV at work when news started coming through and I guess lots of other people did the same. I can´t find any viewing figures for this either, but a hunch tells me that it is possibly the most watched event ever. Having said that, many people say that they couldn´t bear to watch the coverage and switched off fairly quickly.
