The National Football League and the London Summer Olympics utterly dominated the list of the most-viewed sporting events of 2012.
The NFL and the Olympics accounted for 49 of the 50 most-viewed sporting events of the year [click here for list]. Super Bowl XLVI earned the top sports TV audience of the year — and the top U.S. television audience of all-time — earning 111.3 million viewers on NBC February 5.
The NFL attracted the top five audiences of the year, with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics ranking sixth (40.7M). While the NFL attracted the largest audiences, more than half of the top 25 belonged to NBC’s primetime coverage of the Summer Games.
The only non-NFL, non-Olympic program in the top fifty was the Alabama/Louisiana State BCS National Championship Game (24.2M), which tied for 39th place. The next-best non-NFL, non-Olympic program was the Kentucky/Kansas NCAA Tournament National Championship Game (20.9M), which tied for 59th place.
Because the NFL and the Olympics dominated so thoroughly, a list of the top 50 non-NFL, non-Olympic programs has also been provided [click here], as well as a list of the top TV audiences by sport [click here].
The 50 Most-Watched Sporting Events of 2012
For regionalized windows, featured game and percentage of markets listed [ex.: Titans/Eagles (75%)]
| # | Date | Sport/Event | Game/Race | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 2/5/12 | NFL: Super Bowl | Giants/Patriots | NBC |
47.0
|
111.3M
|
| 2 | Sun., 1/22/12 | NFL: NFC Champ. | Giants/Niners | FOX |
30.6
|
57.6M
|
| 3 | Sun., 1/22/12 | NFL: AFC Champ. | Ravens/Patriots | CBS |
27.4
|
48.7M
|
| 4 | Sun., 1/15/12 | NFL: NFC Divisional | Giants/Packers | FOX |
25.3
|
45.1M
|
| 5 | Sun., 1/8/12 | NFL: AFC Wild Card | Steelers/Broncos | CBS |
24.0
|
42.4M
|
| 6 | Fri., 7/27/12 | Summer Olympics | Opening Ceremony | NBC |
21.0
|
40.7M
|
| 7 | Tue., 7/31/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
21.8
|
38.7M
|
| 8 | Thu., 8/2/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
21.1
|
36.8M
|
| 9 | Sun., 7/29/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
19.8
|
36.0M
|
| 10 | Sat., 1/14/12 | NFL: NFC Divisional | Saints/Niners | FOX |
20.5
|
35.6M
|
| 11 | Sat., 1/14/12 | NFL: AFC Divisional | Broncos/Patriots | CBS |
18.5
|
34.2M
|
| 12 | Sat., 1/7/12 | NFL: NFC Wild Card | Lions/Saints | NBC |
18.2
|
31.8M
|
| 13 | Mon., 7/30/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
18.0
|
31.6M
|
| 14 | Sun., 8/5/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
17.5
|
31.3M
|
| T15 | Sun., 1/15/12 | NFL: AFC Divisional | Texans/Ravens | CBS |
19.0
|
31.0M
|
| T15 | Sun., 8/12/12 | Summer Olympics | Closing Ceremony | NBC |
17.0
|
31.0M
|
| 17 | Wed., 8/1/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
17.9
|
30.8M
|
| 18 | Sun., 12/30/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Cowboys/Washington | NBC |
17.0
|
30.3M
|
| 19 | Tue., 8/7/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
17.6
|
30.1M
|
| 20 | Wed., 8/8/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
16.8
|
29.1M
|
| T21 | Sat., 7/28/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
15.8
|
28.7M
|
| T21 | Thu., 11/22/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Washington/Cowboys | FOX |
13.5
|
28.7M
|
| 23 | Fri., 8/3/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
16.2
|
28.5M
|
| 24 | Sat., 8/4/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
15.9
|
28.0M
|
| 25 | Sun., 1/8/12 | NFL: NFC Wild Card | Falcons/Giants | FOX |
17.3
|
27.7M
|
| T26 | Sun., 9/9/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Steelers/Broncos | NBC |
16.5
|
27.6M
|
| T26 | Sun., 1/1/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Cowboys/Giants | NBC |
15.7
|
27.6M
|
| 28 | Thu., 11/22/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Texans/Lions | CBS |
13.9
|
27.3M
|
| 29 | Sun., 1/1/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Chiefs/Broncos (68%) | CBS |
15.1
|
27.0M
|
| T30 | Sun., 12/16/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Steelers/Cowboys (90%) | FOX |
16.2
|
26.9M
|
| T30 | Sun., 10/28/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Giants/Cowboys | FOX |
16.0
|
26.9M
|
| 32 | Mon., 8/6/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
15.8
|
26.6M
|
| T33 | Sun., 9/9/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Niners/Packers (87%) | FOX |
15.4
|
26.4M
|
| T33 | Sun., 12/30/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Packers/Vikings (82%) | FOX |
15.3
|
26.4M
|
| 35 | Sun., 11/25/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Niners/Saints (93%) | FOX |
15.0
|
24.9M
|
| T36 | Sun., 12/9/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Saints/Giants (91%) | FOX |
14.8
|
24.5M
|
| T36 | Sun., 10/7/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Broncos/Patriots (81%) | CBS |
14.5
|
24.5M
|
| 38 | Sun., 11/11/11 | NFL: Reg. Season | Cowboys/Eagles (85%) | FOX |
14.7
|
24.3M
|
| T39 | Sun., 12/23/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Giants/Ravens (83%) | FOX |
14.2
|
24.2M
|
| T39 | Sun., 11/4/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Steelers/Giants | FOX |
14.7
|
24.2M
|
| T39 | Mon., 1/9/12 | NCAAF: BCS Champ. | Alabama/LSU | ESPN |
14.0
|
24.2M
|
| 42 | Sun., 9/23/12 | NFL: Reg. Season: | Texans/Broncos (64%) | CBS |
14.4
|
24.0M
|
| 43 | Wed., 9/5/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Cowboys/Giants | NBC |
14.7
|
23.9M
|
| 44 | Sun., 11/18/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Colts/Patriots (51%) | CBS |
14.5
|
23.6M
|
| 45 | Sun., 12/16/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Niners/Patriots | NBC |
13.9
|
23.2M
|
| T47 | Sun., 10/21/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Jets/Patriots (92%) | CBS |
14.0
|
23.0M
|
| T47 | Sun., 12/2/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Steelers/Ravens (93%) | CBS |
13.9
|
23.0M
|
| 49 | Thu., 8/9/12 | Summer Olympics | Primetime | NBC |
13.6
|
22.9M
|
| T50 | Sun., 9/30/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Giants/Eagles | NBC |
14.1
|
22.8M
|
| T50 | Sun., 10/14/12 | NFL: Reg. Season | Giants/Niners (77%) | FOX |
13.7
|
22.8M
|
The 50 Most-Watched Sporting Events of 2012 (Excluding the NFL and the Olympics)
| # | Date | Sport/Event | Game/Race | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon., 1/9/12 | NCAAF: BCS Champ. | Alabama/LSU | ESPN |
14.0
|
24.2M
|
| 2 | Mon., 4/3/12 | NCAAB: Final Four | Kentucky/Kansas | CBS |
12.3
|
20.9M
|
| 3 | Thu., 6/21/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G5 | ABC |
10.9
|
18.4M
|
| 4 | Mon., 1/2/12 | NCAAF: Rose Bowl | Oregon/Wisconsin | ESPN |
10.2
|
17.6M
|
| 5 | Tue., 6/19/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G4 | ABC |
10.5
|
17.5M
|
| 6 | Thu., 6/14/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G2 | ABC |
10.4
|
16.7M
|
| 7 | Sat., 3/31/12 | NCAAB: Final Four | Kansas/Ohio State | CBS |
9.6
|
16.6M
|
| T8 | Tue., 6/12/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G1 | ABC |
9.9
|
16.2M
|
| T8 | Sat., 12/1/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Alabama/Georgia | CBS |
9.8
|
16.2M
|
| 10 | Sat., 11/24/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Notre Dame/USC | ABC |
9.4
|
16.1M
|
| T11 | Sun., 10/28/12 | MLB: World Series | Giants/Tigers G4 | FOX |
8.9
|
15.5M
|
| T11 | Sun., 6/17/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G3 | ABC |
8.8
|
15.5M
|
| 13 | Sat., 5/5/12 | Horse: Triple Crown | Kentucky Derby | NBC |
9.0
|
14.8M
|
| 14 | Sat., 3/31/12 | NCAAB: Final Four | Kentucky/Louisville | CBS |
8.4
|
13.9M
|
| T15 | Mon., 1/2/12 | NCAAF: Fiesta Bowl | Okla. St./Stanford | ESPN |
8.4
|
13.7M
|
| T15 | Mon., 2/27/12 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Daytona 500 | FOX |
8.0
|
13.7M
|
| 17 | Sun., 4/8/12 | Golf (M): The Masters | Final Round | CBS |
8.0
|
13.5M
|
| 18 | Sat., 6/9/12 | NBA: East Finals | Celtics/Heat G7 | ESPN |
7.7
|
13.3M
|
| 19 | Thu., 10/25/12 | MLB: World Series | Tigers/Giants G2 | FOX |
7.8
|
12.3M
|
| 20 | Wed., 10/24/12 | MLB: World Series | Tigers/Giants G1 | FOX |
7.6
|
12.2M
|
| 21 | Sun., 3/25/12 | NCAAB: Elite Eight | Kansas/UNC | CBS |
7.1
|
11.7M
|
| 22 | Sat., 11/3/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | LSU/Alabama | CBS |
6.8
|
11.4M
|
| T23 | Thu., 6/7/12 | NBA: East Finals | Heat/Celtics G6 | ESPN |
6.8
|
11.1M
|
| T23 | Sun., 6/3/12 | NBA: East Finals | Heat/Celtics G4 | ESPN |
6.8
|
11.1M
|
| T25 | Sat., 3/24/12 | NCAAB: Elite Eight | Ohio St./Syracuse | CBS |
6.7
|
10.9M
|
| T25 | Tue., 7/10/12 | MLB: All-Star Game | A.L./N.L. | FOX |
6.8
|
10.9M
|
| 27 | Wed., 10/27/12 | MLB: World Series | Giants/Tigers G3 | FOX |
6.1
|
10.5M
|
| 28 | Tue., 6/5/12 | NBA: East Finals | Celtics/Heat G5 | ESPN |
6.3
|
10.3M
|
| 29 | Sun., 7/1/12 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Gymnastics | NBC |
5.9
|
10.0M
|
| T30 | Sat., 11/10/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | TAMU/Alabama | CBS |
6.1
|
9.6M
|
| T30 | Tue., 1/3/12 | NCAAF: Sugar Bowl | Michigan/Va. Tech | ESPN |
6.1
|
9.6M
|
| T30 | Sun., 6/17/12 | Golf (M): U.S. Open | Final Round | NBC |
6.0
|
9.6M
|
| T30 | Tue., 12/25/12 | NBA: Reg. Season | Thunder/Heat | ABC |
5.1
|
9.6M
|
| T34 | Wed., 6/6/12 | NBA: West Finals | Spurs/Thunder G6 | TNT |
6.0
|
9.5M
|
| T34 | Sat., 11/24/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Michigan/Ohio St. | ABC |
5.8
|
9.5M
|
| 36 | Sun., 3/4/12 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | FOX |
5.6
|
9.2M
|
| 37 | Mon., 5/28/12 | NBA: East Finals | Celtics/Heat G1 | ESPN |
5.6
|
9.0M
|
| T38 | Wed., 5/30/12 | NBA: East Finals | Celtics/Heat G2 | ESPN |
5.7
|
8.8M
|
| T38 | Sun., 3/18/12 | NCAAB: Third Rd. | UNC/Creighton | CBS |
5.7
|
8.8M
|
| T38 | Tue., 12/25/12 | NBA: Reg. Season | Knicks/Lakers | ABC |
4.8
|
8.8M
|
| 41 | Fri., 3/23/12 | NCAAB: Sweet 16 | Kentucky/Indiana | CBS |
5.2
|
8.7M
|
| T42 | Sat., 10/27/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Notre Dame/Okla. | ABC |
5.2
|
8.6M
|
| T42 | Mon., 12/31/12 | NCAAF: Peach Bowl | Clemson/LSU | ESPN |
4.8
|
8.6M
|
| T44 | Mon., 6/4/12 | NBA: West Finals | Thunder/Spurs G5 | TNT |
5.5
|
8.5M
|
| T44 | Sun., 3/11/12 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Kobalt Tools 500 | FOX |
5.2
|
8.5M
|
| T44 | Sat., 11/24/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Florida/FSU | ABC |
5.1
|
8.5M
|
| 47 | Fri., 1/6/12 | NCAAF: Cotton Bowl | Arkansas/K-State | FOX |
5.0
|
8.4M
|
| T48 | Sat., 11/17/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Stanford/Oregon | ABC |
5.1
|
8.3M
|
| T48 | Sun., 5/6/12 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Talladega | FOX |
5.1
|
8.3M
|
| T50 | Mon., 1/2/12 | NCAAF: Outback Bowl | Mich. St./Georgia | ABC |
5.1
|
8.2M
|
| T50 | Sun., 3/25/12 | NCAAB: Elite Eight | Kentucky/Baylor | CBS |
5.0
|
8.2M
|
Most-Watched Events By Sport/League
| Sport | Date | Event | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Sun., 2/5/12 | Super Bowl: Giants/Patriots | NBC |
47.0
|
111.3M
|
| Olympics | Fri., 7/27/12 | Opening Ceremony | NBC |
21.0
|
40.7M
|
| NCAAF | Mon., 1/9/12 | BCS Champ.: Alabama/LSU | ESPN |
14.0
|
24.2M
|
| NCAAB (M) | Mon., 4/3/12 | Final Four: Kentucky/Kansas | CBS |
12.3
|
20.9M
|
| NBA | Thu., 6/21/12 | NBA Finals: Thunder/Heat G5 | ABC |
10.9
|
18.4M
|
| MLB | Sun., 10/28/12 | World Series: Giants/Tigers G4 | FOX |
8.9
|
15.5M
|
| Horse | Sat., 5/5/12 | Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby | NBC |
9.0
|
14.8M
|
| NASCAR | Mon., 2/27/12 | Sprint Cup: Daytona 500 | FOX |
8.0
|
13.7M
|
| Golf | Sun., 4/8/12 | The Masters: Final Round | CBS |
8.0
|
13.5M
|
| Tennis (M) | Sun., 8/5/12 | Olympics: Murray/Federer | NBC |
5.5
|
8.2M
|
| Tennis (W) | Sat., 8/4/12 | Olympics: Serena W./Sharapova | NBC |
5.6
|
7.9M
|
| IndyCar | Sun., 5/27/12 | Indianapolis 500 | ABC |
4.3
|
6.8M
|
| NHL | Mon., 6/11/12 | SCF: Devils/Kings G6 | NBC |
3.1
|
4.9M
|
| MMA | Sat., 1/28/12 | UFC on FOX 2 | FOX |
2.6
|
4.7M
|
| NASCAR Nationwide | Sat., 2/25/12 | Drive4COPD 300 | ESPN |
2.9
|
4.4M
|
| Int’l Soccer (W) | Thu., 8/9/12 | Olympics: USA/Japan | NBCSN |
2.7
|
4.4M
|
| Int’l Soccer (M) | Wed., 2/29/12 | Friendly: Mexico/Colombia | UNI |
2.0
|
4.3M
|
| NCAAB (W) | Tue., 4/3/12 | Final Four: Baylor/Notre Dame | ESPN |
2.7
|
4.2M
|
| MLS | Sat., 12/1/12 | MLS Cup: Galaxy/Dynamo | ESPN |
0.5
|
797K
|
| WNBA | Wed., 10/17/12 | WNBA Finals: Fever/Lynx G2 | ESPN |
0.5
|
778K
|
(Numbers from various sources, including Sports Business Daily, ESPN, Turner Sports and TV Media Insights)
