List of most watched television broadcasts in the United States
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The following is the list of most watched television broadcasts in the United States by average viewership, according to Nielsen. Of the 30 most-watched telecasts, 27 are Super Bowls. The Apollo 11 moon landing is considered the most watched broadcast of all time, with an estimated viewership of 125–150 million. However, the Apollo 11 moon landing is considered a news event and not a telecast, as the major networks each produced their own coverage of the event; as a result, FOX's live telecast of Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025 holds the record for the largest average viewership of any live network American television broadcast, with 127.7 million viewers. Although not counted separately, the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show and Super Bowl LIX halftime show are indeed also estimated to have broken viewership records, with each watched by an estimated 133.5 million viewers.
Most-watched broadcasts of all time
Average viewership
The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, is reported to have been watched by 125–150 million people. This figure has not been substantiated by Nielsen Media Research, which has only published figures for the moon landing based on household viewership. Additionally, although not counted separately, the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in 1993 was considered as the most watched television broadcast of all time with 133.4 million viewers. This figure was surpassed in 2025 by the end of the second quarter and subsequent halftime show of Super Bowl LIX, with 135.7 and 133.5 million viewers over the two quarter-hour periods. In 2026, Super Bowl LX viewership peaked at 137.8 million viewers during the second quarter (7:45-8:00 p.m.
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