With 2010 now more than halfway over, here is a look at the top 50 sporting events on both broadcast and cable this year.
The NFL and Olympic games dominated broadcast during the first half of 2010, taking up 20 of the first 22 spots. The only non-NFL, non-Olympic events to make the top 20 were the BCS National Championship Game (#9) and Game 7 of the NBA Finals (#12).
The 2010 MLB All-Star Game (12.118 mil) did not make the top 50.
Of the top 50 sporting events on cable, 32 were NBA games — led by 9.948 million viewers for The Decision on July 8. The NFL’s Pro Bowl stands as the top sporting event of the year thus far on cable, with 12.297 million viewers.
The combined audiences for three World Cup matches on ABC/Univision are now included on the list of top 50 sporting events on broadcast. However, the combined audiences for World Cup matches on ESPN and Univision are not included on the top 50 events on cable, since Univision is a broadcast network.
50 Most-Viewed Sporting Events on Broadcast (January 1-July 13)
|
#
|
Date
|
Sport | Game/Event | Net | Rating |
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sun., 2/7/10 | NFL | Super Bowl XLIV: Saints/Colts | CBS |
45.0
|
106,480
|
|
2
|
Sun., 1/24/10 | NFL | NFC Championship: Vikings/Saints | FOX |
30.6
|
57,933
|
|
3
|
Sun., 1/24/10 | NFL | AFC Championship: Jets/Colts | CBS |
26.3
|
46,917
|
|
4
|
Sun., 1/17/10 | NFL | NFC Divisional: Cowboys/Vikings | FOX |
22.0
|
37,669
|
|
5
|
Sun., 1/17/10 | NFL | AFC Divisional: Jets/Chargers | CBS |
20.1
|
35,627
|
|
6
|
Sun., 1/10/10 | NFL | NFC Wild Card: Packers/Cardinals | FOX |
19.6
|
34,406
|
|
7
|
Fri., 2/12/10 | Oly | Olympic Opening Ceremony | NBC |
17.3
|
32,641
|
|
8
|
Sat., 1/9/10 | NFL | NFC Wild Card: Eagles/Cowboys | NBC |
18.0
|
32,124
|
|
9
|
Thu., 1/7/10 | BCS | National Championship Game: Alabama/Texas | ABC |
17.2
|
30,776
|
|
10
|
Sat., 1/16/10 | NFL | AFC Divisional: Ravens/Colts | CBS |
17.0
|
30,569
|
|
11
|
Wed., 2/17/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
16.7
|
29,416
|
|
12
|
Thu., 6/17/10 | NBA | Finals: Celtics/Lakers Game 7 | ABC |
15.6
|
28,203
|
|
13
|
Sat., 1/16/10 | NFL | NFC Divisional: Cardinals/Saints | FOX |
16.1
|
27,910
|
|
14
|
Sun., 1/10/10 | NFL | AFC Wild Card: Ravens/Patriots | CBS |
16.9
|
27,413
|
|
15
|
Sat., 2/20/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
14.7
|
26,668
|
|
16
|
Sun., 1/3/10 | NFL | Reg. Season: Eagles/Cowboys (or other regional action) | FOX |
15.2
|
26,453
|
|
17
|
Sun., 2/14/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
14.3
|
26,372
|
|
18
|
Sat., 2/13/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
14.0
|
26,189
|
|
19
|
Mon., 2/15/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
14.2
|
25,224
|
|
20
|
Sat., 1/9/10 | NFL | AFC Wild Card: Jets/Bengals | NBC |
15.2
|
25,048
|
|
21
|
Thu., 2/18/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
14.5
|
24,782
|
|
22
|
Fri., 2/26/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
13.9
|
24,522
|
|
23
|
Sun., 7/11/10 | World Cup | Spain/Netherlands, match portion | ABC |
8.1
|
24,300
|
| Univ. |
—
|
|||||
|
24
|
Fri., 1/1/10 | BCS | Rose Bowl: Ohio St./Oregon | ABC |
13.2
|
24,025
|
|
25
|
Mon., 4/5/10 | NCAA BB | National Championship Game: Duke/Butler | CBS |
14.2
|
23,994
|
|
26
|
Fri., 2/19/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
13.4
|
23,304
|
|
27
|
Sun., 2/21/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
13.2
|
23,294
|
|
28
|
Thu., 2/25/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
13.6
|
22,920
|
|
29
|
Sun., 2/28/10 | Oly | Olympic Closing Ceremony | NBC |
12.1
|
21,403
|
|
30
|
Tue., 2/23/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
12.6
|
21,279
|
|
31
|
Mon., 2/22/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
12.5
|
20,926
|
|
32
|
Sat., 2/27/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
11.7
|
20,630
|
|
33
|
Tue., 2/16/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
12.2
|
20,330
|
|
34
|
Wed., 2/24/10 | Oly | Primetime Winter Olympics | NBC |
11.9
|
19,808
|
|
35
|
Sat., 6/26/10 | World Cup | Ghana/United States, match portion | ABC |
8.5
|
19,400
|
| Univ. |
—
|
|||||
|
36
|
Sun., 1/3/10 | NFL | Reg. Season: Steelers/Dolphins (or other regional action) | CBS |
11.2
|
18,844
|
|
37
|
Sun., 6/13/10 | NBA | Finals: Lakers/Celtics Game 5 | ABC |
10.8
|
18,654
|
|
38
|
Sun., 2/28/10 | Oly | Afternoon Winter Olympics (includes USA/Canada Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game, which drew 27.6 million) | NBC |
10.4
|
18,313
|
|
39
|
Tue., 6/15/10 | NBA | Finals: Celtics/Lakers Game 6 | ABC |
10.4
|
17,960
|
|
40
|
Sat., 6/12/10 | World Cup | United States/England, match portion | ABC |
7.4
|
17,100
|
| Univ. |
—
|
|||||
|
41
|
Sun., 4/11/10 | Golf (M) | The Masters, Final Round | CBS |
10.7
|
16,676
|
|
42
|
Sat., 5/1/10 | Horse Racing | Kentucky Derby, race portion | NBC |
9.8
|
16,540
|
|
43
|
Thu., 6/10/10 | NBA | Finals: Lakers/Celtics Game 4 | ABC |
9.9
|
16,371
|
|
44
|
Sun., 1/3/10 | NFL | Reg. Season: Jets/Bengals | NBC |
10.0
|
16,333
|
|
45
|
Tue., 6/8/10 | NBA | Finals: Lakers/Celtics Game 3 | ABC |
9.6
|
15,959
|
|
46
|
Sat., 4/3/10 | NCAA BB | Final Four: Duke/West Virginia | CBS |
9.2
|
15,823
|
|
47
|
Sun., 6/6/10 | NBA | Finals: Celtics/Lakers Game 2 | ABC |
9.2
|
15,718
|
|
48
|
Sun., 1/3/10 | NFL | Reg. Season: Giants/Vikings (or other regional action) | NFL |
9.6
|
15,617
|
|
49
|
Fri., 1/1/10 | BCS | Sugar Bowl: Florida/Cincinnati | FOX |
8.5
|
15,533
|
|
50
|
Sat., 4/3/10 | NCAA BB | Final Four: Butler/Michigan St. | CBS |
8.6
|
14,460
|
50 Most-Viewed Sporting Events on Cable (January 1-July 13)
|
#
|
Date
|
Sport | Game/Event | Net | Rating |
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sun., 1/31/10 | NFL | Pro Bowl | ESPN |
7.1
|
12,297
|
|
2
|
Thu., 7/8/10 | NBA | The Decision | ESPN |
6.1
|
9,948
|
|
3
|
Thu., 5/13/10 | NBA | Second Round: Cavaliers/Celtics Game 6 | ESPN |
5.7
|
8,983
|
|
4
|
Thu., 5/27/10 | NBA | West Finals: Suns/Lakers Game 5 | TNT |
5.3
|
8,670
|
|
5
|
Sun., 5/23/10 | NBA | West Finals: Lakers/Suns Game 3 | TNT |
5.0
|
8,460
|
|
6
|
Sun., 2/21/10 | Oly | Men’s Hockey: United States/Canada | MSNBC |
4.3
|
8,221
|
|
7
|
Sat., 5/29/10 | NBA | West Finals: Lakers/Suns Game 6 | TNT |
4.8
|
8,154
|
|
8
|
Mon., 5/24/10 | NBA | East Finals: Magic/Celtics Game 4 | ESPN |
4.9
|
7,960
|
|
9
|
Sat., 1/2/10 | NCAA FB | Alamo Bowl: Michigan St/Texas Tech | ESPN |
4.8
|
7,829
|
|
10
|
Tue., 5/25/10 | NBA | West Finals: Lakers/Suns Game 4 | TNT |
4.9
|
7,641
|
|
11
|
Fri., 5/28/10 | NBA | East Finals: Magic/Celtics Game 6 | ESPN |
4.6
|
7,538
|
|
12
|
Thu., 4/22/10 | NFL | NFL Draft: Round 1 | ESPN |
4.6
|
7,290
|
|
13
|
Tue., 5/18/10 | NBA | East Finals: Celtics/Magic Game 2 | ESPN |
4.6
|
7,156
|
|
14
|
Mon., 5/17/10 | NBA | West Finals: Suns/Lakers Game 1 | TNT |
4.4
|
7,112
|
|
15
|
Wed., 5/19/10 | NBA | West Finals: Suns/Lakers Game 2 | TNT |
4.4
|
7,004
|
|
16
|
Sun., 2/14/10 | NBA | NBA All-Star Game | TNT |
3.8
|
6,846
|
|
17
|
Wed., 5/26/10 | NBA | East Finals: Celtics/Magic Game 5 | ESPN |
4.4
|
6,835
|
|
18
|
Tue., 5/11/10 | NBA | Second Round: Celtics/Cavaliers Game 5 | TNT |
4.2
|
6,737
|
|
19
|
Sat., 1/2/10 | NCAA FB | Liberty Bowl: Arkansas/ECU | ESPN |
3.8
|
6,449
|
|
20
|
Mon., 7/13/10 | MLB | Home Run Derby | ESPN |
4.0
|
6,418
|
|
21
|
Wed., 6/23/10 | World Cup | United States/Algeria, match portion (also aired on broadcast net Univision) | ESPN |
4.0
|
6,161
|
|
22
|
Sat., 7/3/10 | NASCAR | Coke Zero 400 | TNT |
3.6
|
6,127
|
|
23
|
Sat., 5/22/10 | NBA | East Finals: Magic/Celtics Game 3 | ESPN |
3.7
|
6,022
|
|
24
|
Sat., 5/1/10 | NBA | Second Round: Celtics/Cavaliers Game 1 | TNT |
3.4
|
5,705
|
|
25
|
Fri., 1/1/10 | NCAA FB | Outback Bowl: Auburn/Northwestern | ESPN |
3.5
|
5,685
|
|
26
|
Mon., 5/3/10 | NBA | Second Round: Celtics/Cavaliers Game 2 | TNT |
3.5
|
5,499
|
|
27
|
Sat., 2/13/10 | NBA | NBA All-Star Saturday Night | TNT |
3.1
|
5,441
|
|
28
|
Fri., 6/18/10 | World Cup | United States/Slovenia, match portion (also aired on broadcast net Univision) | ESPN |
3.4
|
5,200
|
|
29
|
Sun., 6/6/10 | NASCAR | Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 | TNT |
3.1
|
5,097
|
|
30
|
Mon., 5/10/10 | NBA | Second Round: Lakers/Jazz Game 4 | TNT |
3.2
|
5,079
|
|
31
|
Thu., 4/8/10 | Golf (M) | The Masters: First Round | ESPN |
3.4
|
4,936
|
|
32
|
Sun., 6/27/10 | NASCAR | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | TNT |
3.0
|
4,909
|
|
33
|
Fri., 4/30/10 | NBA | First Round: Lakers/Thunder Game 6 | ESPN |
3.1
|
4,833
|
|
34
|
Tue., 4/27/10 | NBA | First Round: Thunder/Lakers Game 5 | TNT |
3.1
|
4,685
|
|
35
|
Tue., 5/4/10 | NBA | Second Round: Jazz/Lakers Game 2 | TNT |
3.0
|
4,668
|
|
36
|
Sat., 7/10/10 | NASCAR | Lifelock.com 400 | TNT |
2.8
|
4,608
|
|
37
|
Sun., 5/9/10 | NBA | Second Round: Suns/Spurs Game 4 | TNT |
2.8
|
4,577
|
|
38
|
Sun., 6/20/10 | NASCAR | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | TNT |
2.7
|
4,479
|
|
39
|
Sun., 6/13/10 | NASCAR | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 | TNT |
2.9
|
4,333
|
|
40
|
Sun., 6/27/10 | World Cup | Germany/England, match portion (also aired on broadcast net Univision) | ESPN |
2.7
|
4,311
|
|
41
|
Sat., 2/13/10 | NASCAR NNS | Drive4COPD300 | ESPN2 |
2.8
|
4,271
|
|
42
|
Fri., 5/7/10 | NBA | Second Round: Suns/Spurs Game 3 | TNT |
2.7
|
4,267
|
|
43
|
Tue., 4/27/10 | NBA | First Round: Bulls/Cavaliers Game 5 | TNT |
2.8
|
4,244
|
|
44
|
Sat., 4/24/10 | NBA | First Round: Lakers/Thunder Game 4 | ESPN |
2.7
|
4,163
|
|
45
|
Mon., 5/3/10 | NBA | Second Round: Spurs/Suns Game 1 | TNT |
2.7
|
4,110
|
|
46
|
Wed., 5/5/10 | NBA | Second Round: Spurs/Suns Game 2 | TNT |
2.7
|
3,999
|
|
47
|
Thu., 1/21/10 | NBA | Reg. Season: Lakers/Cavaliers | TNT |
2.5
|
3,946
|
|
48
|
Sun., 4/18/10 | NBA | First Round: Spurs/Mavericks Game 1 | TNT |
2.5
|
3,925
|
|
49
|
Mon., 4/19/10 | NBA | First Round: Bulls/Cavaliers Game 2 | TNT |
2.6
|
3,907
|
|
50
|
Sat., 4/17/10 | NBA | First Round: Heat/Celtics Game 1 | ESPN |
2.5
|
3,821
|
