In an Olympic off year, the NFL dominated the list of the most-watched sporting events in the United States. If you want to jump straight to the lists, click on: the overall top 50, the top 50 non-NFL sporting events, or the top telecasts in each sport.
The 26 most-watched sporting events of 2013 were all NFL games, including sixteen in the regular season alone. The Ravens/49ers Super Bowl topped the charts (46.4, 108.7M), followed by the Ravens/Patriots AFC Championship Game (25.5, 47.7M) and the 49ers/Falcons NFC title game (24.2, 42.0M). The most-watched regular season game on the list was Raiders/Cowboys on Thanksgiving, which earned 31.7 million viewers and a 14.3 rating.
Overall, 46 of the top 50 sporting events were NFL games — and that does not include the Super Bowl power outage, which earned 106.6 million viewers.
The only non-NFL events to crack the top 50 were Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals and the national championship games of college football and college basketball. Overall, those four events were the only non-NFL sports telecasts to earn at least 20 million viewers in 2013.
Game 6 of the World Series finished just shy of 20 million viewers (19.2M), good enough to rank as the fifth-most watched non-NFL sporting event of the year. NASCAR’s Daytona 500 ranked 8th on the non-NFL list (16.7M), the Kentucky Derby ranked 11th (16.2M), and the final round of The Masters ranked #14 (14.7M).
Of note, four regular season college football games ranked among the top 25 non-NFL events: the Auburn/Missouri SEC Championship Game (14.4M, #19), the Michigan State/Ohio State Big Ten title game (13.9M, #22), the Alabama/Auburn “Iron Bowl” (13.8M, #23) and the Alabama/Texas A&M game (13.6M, #24).
The 50 Most-Watched Sporting Events of 2013
* Note: List does not include the early afternoon Week 17 NFL games. The CBS national window, featuring Ravens/Bengals, earned a 12.0 overnight and may rank among the top 50 when the final numbers are released.
For regionalized windows, featured game and percentage of markets listed [ex.: Jaguars/Rams (88%)]
| # | Date | League | Event | Net |
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun., 2/3/13 | NFL: Super Bowl | Ravens/49ers | CBS |
46.4
|
108.69M
|
| – | Sun., 2/3/13 | NFL: Super Bowl | Power outage | CBS |
44.4
|
106.56M
|
| 2 | Sun., 1/20/13 | NFL: AFC Champ. | Ravens/Patriots | CBS |
25.5
|
47.71M
|
| 3 | Sun., 1/20/13 | NFL: NFC Champ. | 49ers/Falcons | FOX |
24.2
|
42.00M
|
| 4 | Sun., 1/6/13 | NFL: NFC Wild Card | Seahawks/Washington | FOX |
21.5
|
38.09M
|
| 5 | Sun., 1/13/13 | NFL: AFC Divisional | Texans/Patriots | CBS |
21.7
|
37.66M
|
| 6 | Sat., 1/12/13 | NFL: AFC Divisional | Ravens/Broncos | CBS |
20.1
|
35.28M
|
| 7 | Sun., 1/13/13 | NFL: NFC Divisional | Seahawks/Falcons | FOX |
19.3
|
32.10M
|
| 8 | Thu., 11/28/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Raiders/Cowboys | CBS |
14.3
|
31.68M
|
| 9 | Sat., 1/12/13 | NFL: NFC Divisional | Packers/49ers | FOX |
16.9
|
30.89M
|
| 10 | Sat., 1/5/13 | NFL: NFC Wild Card | Vikings/Packers | NBC |
17.3
|
30.28M
|
| 11 | Sun., 1/6/13 | NFL: AFC Wild Card | Colts/Ravens | CBS |
18.1
|
29.60M
|
| 12 | Sun., 9/8/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Packers/49ers (94%) | FOX |
16.6
|
28.48M
|
| 13 | Thu., 11/28/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Packers/Lions | FOX |
13.4
|
28.34M
|
| 14 | Sun., 10/6/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Cowboys | CBS |
16.6
|
28.32M
|
| 15 | Sun., 12/1/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Chiefs (86%) | CBS |
16.7
|
28.11M
|
| 16 | Sun., 11/24/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Cowboys/Giants | FOX |
16.4
|
27.94M
|
| 17 | Sun., 12/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Packers/Cowboys (83%) | FOX |
16.3
|
27.77M
|
| 18 | Sun., 12/8/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Seahawks/49ers (78%) | FOX |
16.2
|
27.65M
|
| 19 | Sun., 12/29/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Eagles/Cowboys | NBC |
15.5
|
27.36M
|
| 20 | Sun., 9/29/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Eagles/Broncos (69%) | FOX |
16.1
|
27.00M
|
| 21 | Sun., 11/17/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Chiefs/Broncos | NBC |
15.5
|
26.95M
|
| 22 | Sun., 10/20/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Colts | NBC |
15.9
|
26.94M
|
| 23 | Sun., 11/17/13 | NFL: Regular Season | 49ers/Saints (66%) | FOX |
15.5
|
26.94M
|
| 24 | Sun., 10/13/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Saints/Patriots (86%) | FOX |
15.8
|
26.70M
|
| 25 | Sun., 11/24/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Patriots | NBC |
15.6
|
26.48M
|
| 26 | Sun., 9/15/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Giants (89%) | CBS |
15.8
|
26.42M
|
| 27 | Mon., 1/7/13 | NCAAF: BCS Champ. | Alabama/Notre Dame | ESPN |
15.1
|
26.38M
|
| 28 | Sun., 12/29/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Packers/Bears (63%) | FOX |
14.6
|
26.35M
|
| 29 | Thu., 6/20/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 7 | ABC |
15.3
|
26.32M
|
| 30 | Sun., 9/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Colts/49ers (81%) | CBS |
15.4
|
25.58M
|
| 31 | Sun., 10/27/13 | NFL: Regular Season | WSH/Broncos (88%) | FOX |
15.3
|
25.50M
|
| 32 | Sun., 9/8/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Giants/Cowboys | NBC |
15.0
|
25.40M
|
| 33 | Sun., 10/20/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Ravens/Steelers (43%) | CBS |
14.8
|
25.32M
|
| 34 | Thu., 9/5/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Ravens/Broncos | NBC |
14.9
|
25.13M
|
| 35 | Sun., 12/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Patriots/Ravens (65%) | CBS |
14.2
|
24.20M
|
| 36 | Sun., 11/10/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Broncos/Chargers (91%) | CBS |
14.3
|
24.07M
|
| 37 | Sun., 11/3/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Steelers/Patriots (88%) | CBS |
14.3
|
23.99M
|
| 38 | Sat., 1/5/13 | NFL: AFC Wild Card | Bengals/Texans | NBC |
14.4
|
23.60M
|
| 39 | Mon., 4/8/13 | NCAAMB: Final Four | Louisville/Michigan | CBS |
14.0
|
23.43M
|
| 40 | Sun., 10/13/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Washington/Cowboys | NBC |
12.7
|
22.07M
|
| 41 | Sun., 12/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Panthers/Saints or Giants/Lions (23%) | FOX |
13.0
|
21.91M
|
| 42 | Sun., 9/15/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Washington/Packers (58%) | FOX |
12.8
|
21.88M
|
| 43 | Sun., 11/10/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Cowboys/Saints | NBC |
12.3
|
21.09M
|
| 44 | Thu., 11/28/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Steelers/Ravens | NBC |
11.0
|
21.07M
|
| 45 | Sun., 9/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Packers/Bengals (33%) | FOX |
12.5
|
20.90M
|
| 46 | Tue., 6/18/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 6 | ABC |
12.3
|
20.64M
|
| 47 | Sun., 9/15/13 | NFL: Regular Season | 49ers/Seahawks | NBC |
12.2
|
20.54M
|
| 48 | Sun., 9/22/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Bears/Steelers | NBC |
12.2
|
20.51M
|
| 49 | Sun., 9/29/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Patriots/Falcons | NBC |
12.5
|
20.49M
|
| 50 | Sun., 12/8/13 | NFL: Regular Season | Singleheader | CBS |
12.0
|
20.24M
|
The 50 Most-Watched Sporting Events of 2013
| # | Date | League | Event | Net |
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon., 1/7/13 | CFB: BCS Champ. | Alabama/Notre Dame | ESPN |
15.1
|
26.38M
|
| 2 | Thu., 6/20/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 7 | ABC |
15.3
|
26.32M
|
| 3 | Mon., 4/8/13 | CBB: Final Four | Louisville/Michigan | CBS |
14.0
|
23.43M
|
| 4 | Tue., 6/18/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 6 | ABC |
12.3
|
20.64M
|
| 5 | Wed., 10/30/13 | MLB: World Series | Cardinals/Red Sox Game 6 | FOX |
11.3
|
19.18M
|
| 6 | Sat., 4/6/13 | CBB: Final Four | Michigan/Syracuse | CBS |
10.2
|
17.10M
|
| 7 | Tue., 1/1/13 | CFB: Rose Bowl | Stanford/Wisconsin | ESPN |
9.4
|
17.02M
|
| 8 | Sun., 2/24/13 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Daytona 500 | FOX |
9.9
|
16.65M
|
| 9 | Sun., 6/16/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Spurs Game 5 | ABC |
9.5
|
16.27M
|
| 10 | Thu., 6/13/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Spurs Game 4 | ABC |
10.0
|
16.23M
|
| 11 | Sat., 5/4/13 | Horse: Triple Crown | Kentucky Derby | NBC |
9.7
|
16.20M
|
| 12 | Sun., 10/27/13 | MLB: World Series | Red Sox/Cardinals Game 4 | FOX |
9.4
|
15.98M
|
| 13 | Sun., 3/31/13 | CBB: Elite Eight | Louisville/Duke | CBS |
8.8
|
15.65M
|
| 14 | Sun., 4/14/13 | Golf: The Masters | Final Round | CBS |
9.4
|
14.70M
|
| 15 | Sun., 6/9/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 2 | ABC |
8.5
|
14.57M
|
| 16 | Sat., 4/6/13 | CBB: Final Four | Louisville/Wichita State | CBS |
8.7
|
14.47M
|
| 17 | Mon., 10/28/13 | MLB: World Series | Red Sox/Cardinals Game 5 | FOX |
8.9
|
14.45M
|
| 18 | Wed., 10/23/13 | MLB: World Series | Cardinals/Red Sox Game 1 | FOX |
8.6
|
14.40M
|
| 19 | Sat., 12/7/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Auburn/Missouri | CBS |
8.6
|
14.35M
|
| 20 | Thu., 6/6/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Spurs/Heat Game 1 | ABC |
8.8
|
14.24M
|
| 21 | Tue., 6/11/13 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Spurs Game 3 | ABC |
8.5
|
14.05M
|
| 22 | Sat., 12/7/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Michigan St./Ohio St. | FOX |
7.9
|
13.90M
|
| 23 | Sat., 11/30/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Alabama/Auburn | CBS |
8.2
|
13.78M
|
| 24 | Sat., 9/14/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Alabama/Texas A&M | CBS |
8.5
|
13.59M
|
| 25 | Thu., 10/24/13 | MLB: World Series | Cardinals/Red Sox Game 2 | FOX |
8.3
|
13.43M
|
| 26 | Sat., 10/26/13 | MLB: World Series | Red Sox/Cardinals Game 3 | FOX |
7.4
|
12.47M
|
| 27 | Thu., 1/3/13 | CFB: Fiesta Bowl | Oregon/Kansas State | ESPN |
7.4
|
12.31M
|
| 28 | Fri., 1/4/13 | CFB: Cotton Bowl | Texas A&M/Oklahoma | FOX |
7.2
|
11.94M
|
| 29 | Sat., 11/9/13 | CFB: Regular Season | LSU/Alabama | CBS |
6.9
|
11.90M
|
| 30 | Mon., 6/3/13 | NBA: East Finals | Pacers/Heat Game 7 | TNT |
7.1
|
11.57M
|
| 31 | Sat., 3/30/13 | CBB: Elite Eight | Wichita St./Ohio St. | CBS |
6.8
|
11.29M
|
| 32 | Sun., 3/24/13 | CBB: Third Round | Kansas/North Carolina | CBS |
7.0
|
11.24M
|
| 33 | Tue., 7/16/13 | MLB: All-Star | All-Star Game | FOX |
6.9
|
10.96M
|
| 34 | Tue., 1/1/13 | CFB: Cap. One Bowl | Georgia/Nebraska | ABC |
6.6
|
10.95M
|
| 35 | Tue., 1/1/13 | CFB: Orange Bowl | FSU/Northern Illinois | ESPN |
6.1
|
10.56M
|
| 36 | Sun., 3/24/13 | CBB: Third Round | Indiana/Temple | CBS |
6.8
|
10.55M
|
| 37 | Wed., 1/2/13 | CFB: Sugar Bowl | Louisville/Florida | ESPN |
6.2
|
10.13M
|
| 38 | Sat., 5/18/13 | Horse: Triple Crown | The Preakness Stakes | NBC |
5.9
|
9.70M
|
| 39 | Sat., 11/30/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Ohio State/Michigan | ABC |
5.8
|
9.50M
|
| 40 | Sun., 3/31/13 | CBB: Elite Eight | Florida/Michigan | CBS |
5.7
|
9.36M
|
| 41 | Sun., 3/3/13 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Subway Fresh Fit 500 (Phoenix) | FOX |
5.6
|
9.12M
|
| 42 | Sat., 10/19/13 | MLB: ALCS | Tigers/Red Sox Game 6 | FOX | 5.5 | 9.04M |
| 43 | Tue., 12/31/13 | CFB: Peach Bowl | Texas A&M/Duke | ESPN |
5.0
|
8.69M
|
| 44 | Sat., 9/7/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Notre Dame/Michigan | ESPN |
5.3
|
8.65M
|
| 45 | Thu., 10/17/13 | MLB: ALCS | Red Sox/Tigers Game 5 | FOX | 5.4 | 8.57M |
| 46 | Thu., 5/30/13 | NBA: East Finals | Pacers/Heat Game 5 | TNT |
5.4
|
8.54M
|
| 47 | Sat., 4/13/13 | Golf: The Masters | Third Round | CBS |
5.8
|
8.50M
|
| 48 | Sun., 6/16/13 | Golf: U.S. Open | Final Round | NBC |
5.4
|
8.39M
|
| 49 | Sat., 11/2/13 | CFB: Regular Season | Miami/Florida State | ABC |
5.1
|
8.35M
|
| 50 | Sun., 10/13/13 | MLB: ALCS | Tigers/Red Sox Game 2 | FOX | 5.2 | 8.35M |
The Top Events By Sport
| Sport | Date | Event | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Sun., 2/3/13 | Ravens/49ers | CBS |
46.4
|
108.69M
|
| CFB | Mon., 1/7/13 | Alabama/Notre Dame | ESPN |
15.1
|
26.38M
|
| NBA | Thu., 6/20/13 | Spurs/Heat Gm. 7 | ABC |
15.3
|
26.32M
|
| CBB | Mon., 4/8/13 | Louisville/Michigan | CBS |
14.0
|
23.43M
|
| MLB | Wed., 10/30/13 | Cardinals/Red Sox Gm. 6 | FOX |
11.3
|
19.18M
|
| NSCS | Sun., 2/24/13 | Daytona 500 | FOX |
9.9
|
16.65M
|
| Horse | Sat., 5/4/13 | Kentucky Derby | NBC |
9.7
|
16.20M
|
| Golf | Sun., 4/14/13 | The Masters, Final Round | CBS |
9.4
|
14.70M
|
| NHL | Mon., 6/24/13 | Blackhawks/Bruins Gm. 6 | NBC |
4.7
|
8.16M
|
| Soccer | Tue., 3/26/13 | United States/Mexico | ESPN, UNI |
1.4
|
6.96M
|
|
2.0
|
|||||
| Tennis (W) | Sun., 9/8/12 | U.S. Open Final (Serena/Azarenka) | CBS |
4.0
|
6.17M
|
| IndyCar | Sun., 5/27/12 | Indianapolis 500 | ABC |
3.7
|
5.70M
|
| MMA | Sat., 1/28/12 | UFC on FOX 2 | FOX |
2.4
|
4.22M
|
| Tennis (M) | Mon., 9/9/12 | U.S. Open Final (Nadal/Djokovic) | CBS |
2.4
|
3.43M
|
| NNS | Sat., 2/25/12 | Drive4COPD 300 (Daytona) | ESPN |
2.2
|
3.36M
|
| WCBB | Tue., 4/3/12 | UConn/Louisville | ESPN |
2.0
|
3.21M
|
| WNBA | Sat., 7/27/13 | WNBA All-Star Game | ESPN |
0.6
|
791K
|
Ratings info from numerous sources, including: Nielsen, Sports Business Daily, ESPN, MLBPR, The Futon Critic, Son of the Bronx, TV By the Numbers; Sunday’s Packers/Bears viewership from TV By the Numbers.
