With 2011 more than halfway over, here is a look at the 100 most-viewed sporting events of the year so far.
The NFL continued its reign as the most-viewed American sport, taking up the top eleven spots and twelve of the top thirteen. Super Bowl XLV between the Packers and Steelers earned over 111 million viewers, an all-time record for U.S. television.
The most-viewed non-NFL sporting event was the Auburn/Oregon BCS National Championship Game, which earned over 27 million viewers on ESPN. Though down from the 2010 title game on ABC, which earned over 30 million viewers, the event ranks as the top program in cable television history.
The deciding game of the NBA Finals drew the second-largest non-NFL audience, as 23.9 million viewers tuned into Game 6 between the Mavericks and Heat. The game ranks as the second-most viewed NBA telecast since Michael Jordan‘s 1998 retirement.
Returning to the college ranks, the Connecticut/Butler NCAA Tournament National Championship Game ranks as the fourth-most viewed non-NFL sporting event of the year, with just over 20 million viewers.
Other notable events in the top 100 include the MLB All-Star Game, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and the Mexico/United States Gold Cup final on Univision and Fox Soccer.
100 Most-Viewed Sporting Events of 2011
|
#
|
Date
|
Sport
|
Game/Event
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Sun., 2/6/11 |
NFL
|
Super Bowl: GB 31, PIT 25 | FOX |
46.0
|
111,010
|
|
2
|
Sun., 1/23/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: NYJ 19, PIT 24 | CBS |
28.3
|
54,850
|
|
3
|
Sun., 1/23/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: GB 21, CHI 14 | FOX |
28.1
|
51,884
|
|
4
|
Sun., 1/16/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: NYJ 28, NE 21 | CBS |
24.2
|
43,463
|
|
5
|
Sun., 1/9/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: GB 21, PHI 16 | FOX |
22.1
|
39,274
|
|
6
|
Sat., 1/15/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: BAL 24, PIT 31 | CBS |
19.4
|
34,009
|
|
7
|
Sat., 1/8/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: NYJ 17, IND 16 | NBC |
18.7
|
33,350
|
|
8
|
Sun., 1/16/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: SEA 24, CHI 35 | FOX |
19.1
|
32,493
|
|
9
|
Sat., 1/15/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: GB 48, ATL 21 | FOX |
17.0
|
30,569
|
|
10
|
Sun., 1/9/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: BAL 30, KC 7 | CBS |
17.1
|
28,384
|
|
11
|
Sat., 1/8/11 |
NFL
|
NFL Playoffs: NO 36, SEA 41 | FOX |
16.8
|
28,304
|
|
12
|
Mon., 1/10/11 |
NCAAF
|
BCS Champ.: AUB 22, ORE 19 | ESPN |
15.3
|
27,316
|
|
13
|
Sun., 1/2/11 |
NFL
|
Regular Season: CHI 3, GB 10* | FOX |
14.7
|
26,147
|
|
14
|
Sun., 6/12/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: DAL 105, MIA 95 | ABC |
13.3
|
23,880
|
|
15
|
Sat., 1/1/11 |
NCAAF
|
Rose Bowl: TCU 21, WISC 19 | ESPN |
11.3
|
20,558
|
|
16
|
Mon., 4/4/11 |
NCAAB
|
Final Four: CT 53, BUT 41 | CBS |
11.7
|
20,055
|
|
17
|
Sun., 1/2/11 |
NFL
|
Regular Season: STL 6, SEA 16 | NBC |
11.3
|
19,357
|
|
18
|
Thu., 6/9/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: MIA 103, DAL 112 | ABC |
10.8
|
18,318
|
|
19
|
Sun., 1/2/11 |
NFL
|
Regular Season: TEN 20, IND 23* | CBS |
9.7
|
16,766
|
|
20
|
Sat., 4/2/11 |
NCAAB
|
Final Four: CT 56, UK 55 | CBS |
9.5
|
16,715
|
|
21
|
Tue., 6/7/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: MIA 83, DAL 86 | ABC |
9.6
|
16,126
|
|
22
|
Sun., 1/2/11 |
NFL
|
Regular Season: TB 23, NO 13* | FOX |
9.6
|
16,083
|
|
23
|
Sun., 3/20/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: OSU 98, GMU 66 |
CBS
|
9.9
|
15,886
|
| NCAA Rd. 3: ARIZ 70, TEX 69 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 3: VCU 94, PUR 76 | TBS | |||||
|
24
|
Sun., 2/20/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Daytona 500 | FOX |
8.7
|
15,597
|
|
25
|
Thu., 6/2/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: DAL 95, MIA 93 | ABC |
9.3
|
15,522
|
|
26
|
Sun., 6/5/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: MIA 88, DAL 86 | ABC |
9.1
|
15,338
|
|
27
|
Sun., 4/10/11 |
Golf (M)
|
The Masters: Final Round | CBS |
9.5
|
15,257
|
|
28
|
Tue., 5/31/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Finals: DAL 84, MIA 92 | ABC |
9.0
|
15,171
|
|
29
|
Sun., 3/27/11 |
NCAAB
|
Elite Eight: UK 76, UNC 69 | CBS |
8.9
|
15,082
|
|
30
|
Sat., 5/7/11 |
Horse
|
Kentucky Derby, Race Portion | NBC |
8.5
|
14,539
|
|
31
|
Sat., 4/2/11 |
NCAAB
|
Final Four: BUT 70, VCU 62 | CBS |
8.3
|
14,189
|
|
32
|
Fri., 3/25/11 |
NCAAB
|
Sweet Sixteen: UK 62, OSU 60 | CBS |
8.4
|
13,824
|
| Sweet Sixteen: VCU 72, FSU 71 | TBS | |||||
|
33
|
Tue., 1/4/11 |
NCAAF
|
Sugar Bowl: OSU 31, ARK 26 | ESPN |
8.2
|
13,635
|
|
34
|
Sun., 1/30/11 |
NFL
|
Pro Bowl: NFC 55, AFC 41 | FOX |
7.7
|
13,406
|
|
35
|
Sat., 3/19/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: RICH 65, MORE 48 | CBS |
7.9
|
12,626
|
| NCAA Rd. 3: SDSU 71, TEMP 64 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 3: BUT 71, PIT 70 | TBS | |||||
|
36
|
Sat., 1/1/11 |
NCAAF
|
Outback Bowl: UF 37, PSU 24 | ABC |
7.1
|
12,445
|
|
37
|
Thu., 3/24/11 |
NCAAB
|
Sweet Sixteen: ARI 93, DUKE 77 | CBS |
7.8
|
12,418
|
| Sweet Sixteen: BUT 61, WISC 54 | TBS | |||||
|
38
|
Sun., 1/2/11 |
NFL
|
Regular Season: PIT 41, CLE 9* |
CBS
|
7.3
|
12,328
|
|
39
|
Sat., 3/19/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: BYU 89, GONZ 67 | CBS |
7.2
|
11,657
|
| NCAA Rd. 3: WISC 70, KSU 65 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 3: CT 69, CIN 58 | TBS | |||||
|
40
|
Thu., 3/24/11 |
NCAAB
|
Sweet Sixteen: CT 74, SDSU 67 | CBS |
7.4
|
11,557
|
| Sweet Sixteen: UF 83, BYU 74 | TBS | |||||
|
41
|
Sun., 5/15/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MIA 83, CHI 102 | TNT |
6.2
|
11,109
|
|
42
|
Tue., 7/12/11 |
MLB
|
All-Star Game: AL 1, NL 5 | FOX |
6.9
|
10,970
|
|
43
|
Sun., 5/22/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: CHI 85, MIA 96 |
TNT
|
6.4
|
10,889
|
|
44
|
Sat., 3/26/11 |
NCAAB
|
Elite Eight: CT 65, ARI 63 | CBS |
6.6
|
10,823
|
|
45
|
Sat., 1/1/11 |
NCAAF
|
Fiesta Bowl: OK 48, CT 20 | ESPN |
6.2
|
10,819
|
|
46
|
Mon., 1/3/11 |
NCAAF
|
Orange Bowl: STAN 40, VT 12 | ESPN |
6.7
|
10,682
|
|
47
|
Sun., 3/27/11 |
NCAAB
|
Elite Eight: VCU 71, KU 61 | CBS |
6.5
|
10,431
|
|
48
|
Thu., 5/26/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MIA 83, CHI 80 | TNT |
6.4
|
10,407
|
|
49
|
Sun., 2/27/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Subway Fresh Fit 500 | FOX |
5.9
|
10,346
|
|
50
|
Sun., 3/6/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Kobalt Tools 400 | FOX |
5.9
|
10,076
|
|
51
|
Wed., 5/18/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MIA 85, CHI 75 | TNT |
6.1
|
10,036
|
|
52
|
Sun., 3/20/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: MARQ 66, SYR 62 | TruTV |
6.0
|
10,031
|
| NCAA Rd. 3: KU 73, ILL 59 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 3: FSU 71, ND 57 | TBS | |||||
|
53
|
Fri., 1/17/11 |
NCAAF
|
Cotton Bowl: LSU 41, TAMU 24 | FOX |
5.8
|
10,014
|
|
54
|
Tue., 5/24/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: CHI 93, MIA 101 |
TNT
|
6.1
|
9,770
|
|
55
|
Sun., 3/20/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: DUKE 73, MICH 71 |
CBS
|
6.3
|
9,666
|
|
56
|
Sat., 4/9/11 |
Golf (M)
|
The Masters: Third Round | CBS |
6.5
|
9,486
|
|
57
|
Fri., 3/18/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: ILL 73, UNLV 62 |
TBS
|
5.9
|
9,278
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: VCU 74, GTWN 56 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: UW 68, UGA 65 | CBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: SYR 77, INST 60 | TruTV | |||||
|
58
|
Fri., 3/18/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: KU 72, BU 53 | TBS |
5.8
|
9,206
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: UNC 102, LIU 87 | CBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: PUR 65, PETE 43 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: MARQ 66, XAV 55 | TruTV | |||||
|
59
|
Sat., 3/26/11
|
NCAAB
|
Elite Eight: BUT 76, UF 71 |
CBS
|
5.8
|
9,174
|
|
60
|
Sun., 5/1/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: BOS 90, MIA 99 |
ABC
|
5.8
|
9,169
|
|
61
|
Thu., 3/17/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: UCLA 78, MSU 76 | TBS |
5.9
|
9,101
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: CIN 78, MIZZ 63 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: GONZ 86, SJU 71 | CBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: KSU 73, UST 68 | TruTV | |||||
|
62
|
Sun., 2/20/11 |
NBA
|
All-Star Game: WST 148, EST 143 | TNT |
5.2
|
9,093
|
|
63
|
Sat., 6/25/11
|
Soccer
|
Gold Cup: MEX 4, USA 2 |
UNI, FSC
|
3.6
|
9,080
|
|
64
|
Sun., 4/17/11
|
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Aaron’s 499 |
FOX
|
5.2
|
9,039
|
|
65
|
Thu., 3/17/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: UF 79, UCSB 51 |
TBS
|
5.8
|
8,928
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: BYU 74, WOF 66 | CBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: CT 81, BUCK 52 | TNT | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: WISC 72, BEL 58 | TruTV | |||||
|
66
|
Sun., 5/8/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: LAL 86, DAL 122 |
ABC
|
5.3
|
8,886
|
|
67
|
Sat., 5/21/11
|
Horse
|
The Preakness Stakes: Race Portion |
NBC
|
5.6
|
8,834
|
|
68
|
Fri., 3/25/11
|
NCAAB
|
Sweet Sixteen: UNC 81, MARQ 63 | CBS |
5.5
|
8,590
|
| Sweet Sixteen: KU 77, RICH 57 | TBS | |||||
|
69
|
Wed., 6/15/11
|
NHL
|
Stanley Cup Final: BOS 4, VAN 0 |
NBC
|
4.8
|
8,540
|
|
70
|
Sat., 5/7/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MIA 81, BOS 97 |
ABC
|
4.9
|
8,202
|
|
71
|
Sun, 5/29/11
|
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Coca Cola 600 |
FOX
|
4.5
|
8,132
|
|
72
|
Sat., 2/19/11
|
NBA
|
NBA All-Star Saturday Night |
TNT
|
4.4
|
8,090
|
|
73
|
Sun., 3/27/11
|
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Auto Club 500 |
FOX
|
4.6
|
8,080
|
|
74
|
Sat., 2/12/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Budweiser Shootout | FOX |
4.5
|
7,847
|
|
75
|
Mon., 5/9/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MIA 98, BOS 90 |
TNT
|
4.7
|
7,824
|
|
76
|
Fri., 5/6/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: LAL 92, DAL 98 |
TNT
|
4.7
|
7,658
|
|
77
|
Sat., 3/19/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: UF 73, UCLA 65 | CBS |
4.9
|
7,427
|
|
78
|
Mon., 5/23/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: DAL 112, OKC 105 |
ESPN
|
4.6
|
7,410
|
|
79
|
Sun., 5/15/11
|
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: FedEx 400 |
FOX
|
4.4
|
7,391
|
|
80
|
Sun., 6/19/11
|
Golf (M)
|
U.S. Open: Final Round |
NBC
|
4.5
|
7,369
|
|
81
|
Sun., 3/20/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Jeff Byrd 400 | FOX |
4.3
|
7,240
|
|
82
|
Sun., 4/3/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Goody’s Fast Relief 500 | FOX |
4.4
|
7,229
|
|
83
|
Sun., 5/15/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: MEM 90, OKC 105 |
ABC
|
4.4
|
7,141
|
|
84
|
Wed., 6/22/11 |
Soccer
|
Gold Cup: MEX 2, HON 0 | UNI |
2.9
|
7,115
|
|
85
|
Thu., 5/19/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: OKC 106, DAL 100 |
ESPN
|
4.4
|
7,041
|
|
86
|
Sat., 4/9/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Samsung Mobile 500 | FOX |
4.0
|
7,036
|
|
87
|
Wed., 5/4/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: DAL 93, LAL 81 |
TNT
|
4.5
|
7,036
|
|
88
|
Sun., 4/24/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: BOS 101, NY 89 |
ABC
|
4.2
|
7,020
|
|
89
|
Wed., 5/25/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: OKC 96, DAL 100 |
ESPN
|
4.5
|
7,012
|
|
90
|
Sun., 1/30/11
|
NBA
|
Regular Season: BOS 109, LAL 96 |
ABC
|
4.3
|
7,003
|
|
91
|
Tue., 5/17/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: OKC 112, DAL 121 |
ESPN
|
4.3
|
6,982
|
|
92
|
Sat., 5/7/11 |
NASCAR
|
Sprint Cup: Southern 500 | FOX |
4.1
|
6,978
|
|
93
|
Wed., 5/11/11 |
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: BOS 87, MIA 97 |
TNT
|
4.3
|
6,777
|
|
94
|
Sun., 5/29/11 |
IndyCar
|
IndyCar Series: Indianapolis 500 |
ABC
|
4.0
|
6,711
|
|
95
|
Mon., 7/11/11 |
MLB
|
MLB Home Run Derby | ESPN |
4.0
|
6,686
|
|
96
|
Fri., 3/18/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: ARI 77, MEM 75 |
CBS
|
4.7
|
6,566
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: DUKE 87, HAMP 45 | TruTV | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: FSU 57, TAMU 50 | TBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: OSU 75, UTSA 46 | TNT | |||||
|
97
|
Sun., 3/13/11 |
NCAAB
|
NCAA Tournament Selection Show | CBS |
4.0
|
6,476
|
|
98
|
Mon., 5/2/11
|
NBA
|
NBA Playoffs: DAL 96, LAL 94 |
TNT
|
4.0
|
6,429
|
|
99
|
Thu., 3/17/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 2: UK 59, PRI 57 |
CBS
|
4.4
|
6,421
|
| NCAA Rd. 2: PITT 74, UNCA 51 | TruTV | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: RICH 69, VAN 66 | TBS | |||||
| NCAA Rd. 2: SDSU 68, NOCO 50 | TNT | |||||
|
100
|
Sun., 3/20/11
|
NCAAB
|
NCAA Rd. 3: UNC 86, WSH 83 |
CBS
|
4.2
|
6,357
|
(Asterisk indicates featured game of regional window; Numbers from a variety of sources, including Turner Sports, ESPN, TV By the Numbers, Son of the Bronx and Fox Sports; combined Fox Soccer and Univision rating for Gold Cup final from Cynopsis)
