Dominant NFL claims 93 of the top 100 TV broadcasts last year, with three college football games cracking the list, while the State of the Union is the only political program to air there… but MLB, NBA and NHL fail to make the cut in to score
- 2023 marked the first time a single sport dominated the top 100 broadcasters in the US
- The Cowboys, Chiefs and Eagles were on TV more than any other team
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
The NFL claimed 93 of the top 100 broadcasts on US TV last year, while three college football games made the list, while the State of the Union was the only political program, but MLB, NBA and NHL games failed to make the cut to make the list. the cut.
That's a big improvement over the already impressive number of 2022 NFL games (82) that made it onto the chart, according to Nielsen. In 2017, the NFL was allocated 61 slots.
What's more is that 2023 marked the first time a single sport dominated the top 100, narrowly missing out on college basketball as CBS' presentation of the San Diego State-UConn title game was the 101st most-watched broadcast of the year.
The Dallas Cowboys were the top-drawing NFL team over the past 12 months, drawing an average of 25.2 million viewers per game across its 13 national TV appearances. America's Team “accounted for no fewer than 18 of the year's top 100 viewers,” according to Sportrico.
The Kansas City Chiefs also proved popular last year, with Patrick Mahomes and Co. Claimed 16 of the top slots, putting their Super Bowl LVII opponents – the Philadelphia Eagles – ahead by one.
The NFL accounted for 93 of the nation's 100 most-watched broadcasts this calendar year
The Chiefs had 16 of the top 100 viewers of 2023, while the Super Bowl drew 115 million viewers
President Joe Biden's State of the Union address was the 21st most watched broadcast
Meanwhile, the NFL's top-rated local team turned out to be the Buffalo Bills, who also appeared on national television thirteen times.
Ohio State's Big Ten matchup against bitter rival Michigan drew 19.1 million viewers and finished in 58th place – two spots ahead of the 95th Academy Awards. Georgia's SEC title game against Alabama is considered the 71st most-watched TV program in the US (17.5 million viewers), while the College Football Championship game ranked 74th (17.2 million viewers).
Horse racing also did well, with NBC's coverage of the 149th Kentucky Derby racing segment claiming the 106th spot.
The NBA was only ranked as high as No. 120 due to the showing of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets on national television.
The Dallas Cowboys were the top-drawing team with 25.2 million viewers per game
Basketball missed the top 100, with the NCAA championship game rankings at No. 101
The final round of the 87th Masters Tournament came in at No. 131, while Game 5 of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers was the 140th most-watched television event in America.
The State of the Union address became the 21st most-watched US TV program of 2023, while the 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City reached the top 50 (No. 45). Both programs were the only non-sports (and non-football related) programs to feature in the top 100 broadcasts.
The Academy Awards have risen seventeen places in the top TV rankings, at number 60, compared to last year. The coronation of King Charles III drew just one million more viewers than the battle between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in the NCAA women's title game.
Neither program scored in the top 100 of American broadcasts.