Most-Watched Events In Television History

Getting millions or even billions of people around the world to do the same thing at the same time is no small feat. Every once in a while, though, a special event occurs that demands a large percentage of the world’s population to pay attention. The most-watched TV events in history drew in staggering numbers of diverse viewers.

Popular television programs can gauge what’s interesting on a global level. Though it’s difficult to compile perfectly accurate statistics on TV viewership, these events attracted hundreds of millions of people to their televisions.

 

10   President John F. Kennedy’s Funeral – 1963

Estimated Number of Viewers: 180,000,000

On November 22, 1963, Americans learned that the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated by a sniper in Dallas, TX. Three days later, the funeral took place, and an estimated 180 million peopletuned in to watch the ceremony. Ninety-three percent of American homes equipped with a television watched the event.

Additionally, about 250,000 people attended the funeral in Washington, DC, and more than 800,000 people lined the road to watch the funeral procession.