The Most Watched Televised Events In History

Live 8 

Source: Shuttershock 

Estimates vary wildly, but somewhere between 2 and 3 billion people globally watched this legendary collection of benefit concerts. Hosted by the G8 countries plus South Africa, more than 1,000 musicians performed at 10 concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks. Held on the July 2, 2005, the gigs were held in support of the UK's Make Poverty History drive, as well as the global

Chilean miners rescue

Source: Encyclopaedia Brittanica 

In a story of survival which caught the attention of the world, 33 miners became entombed when a ramp collapsed in the Copiapo goldmine in Chilli. Trapped 2,300 feet below the surface, it was 2 and a half weeks before a note reached the surface: “We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us.” If 2.5 weeks seems a long time, it was a further 2 months until the government revealed on October 13, 2010 that the final rescue effort was about to take place. Over 23 hours, the 33 were pulled to safety, watched by an estimated billion viewers. 

2002 World Cup Final: Brazil vs. Germany

Source: Bleacher report 

It'll come as no surprise that an estimated 1.5 billion viewers tuned in to watch these two legendary football teams come together in the fight for the ultimate, footballing prize. It was here, on June 30, at the International Stadium in Yokohama (Japan), that Brazil claimed their record breaking 5th World Cup title, with Ronaldo (Nazário, not CR7), scoring both goals in the second half, securing him man of the match. 

Prince Charles' wedding to Lady Diana Spencer 

Source: People.com

The world seems to love a royal fairy tale (even if this one was not so much about true love and certainly not

Barak Obama's First Inauguration 

Source: LA times 

History was made on January 20, 2009, when our first black president made his inaugural speech on West Front of Washington, D.C. He only mentioned the significance briefly in his 20 minute address, with the words “a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.” The official estimate (made by the District of Columbia) states that 1.8 million people attended the swearing in, beating President Johnson's record in 1965 of Obama’s 1.2 million. Depending on who you ask, TV numbers range from 38 million to 1 billion (either way, still more than his successor... just saying.) 

The Wall - Live in Berlin 

Source: Guitars Exchange 

You might be surprised by how many top billed TV moments are live concerts (and not all charity ones either.) Eight months after the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall, Roger Walters of Pink Floyd staged the rock concert of the age. While the album itself explores the notion of self-imposed isolation from society, Walters declared they would not continue to perform the work indoors, but might consider heading outside if the Berlin Wall fell. There were 450,000 fans in attendance, and the TV numbers range between 100 million and 1 billion. Regardless - that's one big crowd!

September the 11th

Source: Familysearch

Little needs to be said about this horrific event in our history. It is estimated that at least 80 million Americans watched the evening news that night, with 2 billion people watching the coverage either live, or through the following news coverage. Needless to say, if you were affected in anyway by this attack, our thoughts are with you. 

Live Aid 

Source: Medium

Not far behind its equal, the original Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985, attracted 1.9 billion viewers globally. With events in London, England and Philadelphia, USA, it's organiser, Sir Bob Geldof reflected that through the event "we took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda and, through the

CCTV New Year's Gala, 2019

Source: cdramabase.com 

We love a good old New Years celebration. With an impressive 1.17 billion people tuning in on February 4, 2019 (don't be confused by the date, we're talking Chinese New Year here), this extravaganza of music, dance, comedy and drama has been hailed by the Guinness World Record Book as "the world's most watched television program."

2018 World Cup Final: France vs. Croatia

Source: Sportsnet

Another moment in sporting history hitting the top rankings, the 2018 World Cup, hosted by Russia, took place in front of 78,011 supporters, with more than a billion watching on TV. This match gave France their second World Cup title (scoring 4 out of the 6 goals), with Griezmann being named name of the match. 

Sydney New Years Eve 2010/11

Source: Wikiwand

The rest of the world can't bare to miss a good old New Years Par-tay either, with 1.1 billion tuning in for this exuberant display of light and stuff going bang. This was the 16th time Sydney Harbour had hosted the celebrations, with around a million Aussies watching the display live, and an estimated 1.1 billion watching on TV. With a budget of $6.5 million, it's not hard to see why.  

Funeral of Lady Diana

Source: Town and Country Magazine 

Those of us who watched the recent, moving scenes of her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth's funeral, would have been irresistibly reminded of the tragedy in 1997, when a quite a few of the same faces followed the coffin of the once Princess of Wales. Killed in a car accident in Paris whilst being pursued by the press, Lady Diana was remembered in a ceremony in Westminster Abbey, before being laid to rest in Althorp. An estimated 2.5 billion people watched the event globally. She was, after all, "The People's Princess." 

Ali vs. Foreman, ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’

Source: history.com 

Hailed as by EPSN as "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century," Muhammad Ali's shock defeat of the heavy-hitting, previously unbeaten George Forman in 

Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding

Source: marthastewart.com

This star studded event on April 29, 2011 saw the eldest son of King Charles and his first wife Lady Diana wed in from of a TV audience of 1 billion of us. Apparently, what's making the gorgeous Kate smile here is William's remark of "just a quiet family wedding, then." As if. 

2010 World Cup Final: Spain vs. Netherlands

Source: The Guardian 

Back to soccer: FIFA estimate that at 910 million viewers globally watched at least some of this match, hosted by South Africa on 11 July, 2010. Goalless at full time and with multiple bookings disrupting its flow, Andrés Iniesta became Spain's saviour after the Netherlands dropped to 10 men. Of course, all anyone really remembers is the infamous kung-fu kick by Holland's Nigel de Jong on Xabi Alonso which, insanely, didn't get him sent off. 

Munich Massacre 

Source: Britanica 

On the much more tragic side of things, 900 million of us watched the terrifying events of September 5&6, 1972 unfold in the Olympic Village in Germany. Eight members of the Palestinian terrorist organisation, Black September, killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team and took nine others captive. The world watched as the West German police moved in, killing 5 of the terrorists but ultimately failing in their mission: none of the hostages survived the ordeal. 

‘Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite’

Source: CBS news 

Apollo 11 Mission 

Source: New Scientist 

Approximately 20% of the global population (652 million people) watched the historic moments which took mankind to the moon. The mission included Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and took place on July 20, 1969. Armstrong admitted before his death in 2012 that his legendary quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,' was actually misheard, and his had actually said "a man." He was pretty grateful for the misquote however, as the history books will record a more gender-inclusive line than he had intended.

Ali vs. Larry Holmes, ‘The Last Hurrah’

Source: Boxing News 24/7

The match which should never have been allowed. Already suffering the effects of undiagnosed Parkinson's disease, Ali took to the ring one final time on October 2, 1980, to challenge WBC Heavyweight Champion, Larry Holmes. Not one to be missed, approximately 2 billion viewers tuned in, only to endure Ali falling victim, not only to Holmes, but all manner of coordination issues and effects brain damage. Every round was given to Holmes unanimously and Ali's trainer stoped the fight after an agonising 10 rounds, giving Holmes to victory by technical knockout. 

Assassination of JF Kennedy 

Source: history.com 

The world was in shaken once again when the world's most powerful man was shot and killed in Parkland Health, Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Around 600 million people tuned in to witness the aftermath. Despite the horrific nature of this crime, the killer was never convicted. The accused, former US Marine Lee Harvey Oswald, was shot and killed by a distraught Dallas nightclub owner, Jack Ruby, on his way to trail. 

1998 World Cup Final: France vs. Brazil

Source: goal.com

Anyone who assumes that any match featuring (the original) Ronaldo is a sure thing, can think again. An estimated 1.7 billion of us tuned in to watch host team France beat previous World Cup winners Brazil 3-0, with the final nail being placed in the coffin in the 90th minute. To be far to Ronaldo, he was still awarded the Golden Ball (FIFA's outstanding player of the tournament award) and speciation surrounding his fitness was rife before the match. Not all his fault then, ey. 

Michael Jackson's Memorial Service

Source: New York Times

Whatever your feelings about MJ, he was undeniably one of the greatest performers of all time. A public memorial was witnessed by 2.5 billion people worldwide on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in LA, twelve days after his death. His solid-bronze casket (plated with 14-karat gold and lined with blue velvet) was in attendance and performances were given by Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Hudson and many more. Queen Latifah read a poem written by Maya Angelou for the occasion and many other famous faces gave eulogies, closing with the family sharing their memories.

Ali vs. Antonio Inoki: The War of the Worlds

Source: The Japan Times 

For those of you not into boxing - this was not boxing as the world had ever seen it. Around 1.4 billion viewers watched Antonio Inoki, a Japanese pro wrestler, take on the mighty Ali in this bizarre set up. It was fought under special rules as Inoki attempted to establish wresting as the dominant fighting discipline. Sounds confusing? That's because it was and no body won per se. If you want to see a dude lie on his back a lot and kick another dude's legs, look it up. It did however help lay the ground work for modern mixed marital arts, which is more carefully regulated. 

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony 

Source: jeremiahjenne.com 

On August 8 of that year, 593 million people tuned in (on an average moment - it was pretty long - over 4 hours) to watch this spectacular event unfold in Beijing. In total, it has been estimated that the overall reach was closer to 984 million. It received global acclaim, being called "spectacular and spellbinding", and is considered by many to be "the greatest ever in the history of Olympics."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding

Source: harpersbazaar.com 

On the beautiful morning of May 19, 2018, Prince Harry (now the Earl of Sussex), married American former actress and charity ambassador, Megan Markle. In a traditional ceremony, praised for it's inclusion of African-American components, we once again showed our need of a good love story. If he's overshadowed by his big brother and heir to the throne William in any way, it's not in TV ratings, as 1.9 billion people reportedly watched the couple tie the knot.

2006 World Cup Final: France vs. Italy

Source: The Guardian 

One last soccer event if you don't mind, and once again, one mostly remembered for the wrong reasons. FIFA's records show 715.1 million individuals watched Italy's first world title in 24 years, and tensions were high as after both teams scored in the opening 20 minutes, the match ended 1-1 after full time. During extra time, Frances' Zidane was sent off after being clocked head-butting Italy's Materazzi hard in the chest. After the match ended (Italy won 5–3 on penalties), accusations flew around about who said what about who's mother and or sister, with Materazzi winning damages from serval British newspapers in the aftermath. Not cool guys. 

Muhammad Ali's memorial service

Source: The nation 

Yes many watched his incredible performances in the ring, but over 1 billion of us watched his final goodbye on June 10, 2016. The 3 time world heavyweight champion died in Phoenix, Arizona, after battling Parkinson's for 32 years. Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said, "Muhammad Ali was truly the people's champion and the celebration will reflect his devotion to all races, religions, and backgrounds... [he] committed to sharing a message of people and inclusion with the world." His memorial certainly reflected that. 

2011 Cricket World Cup Semi Final: India vs Pakistan

Source: hindustantimes.com

It wasn't even a final, but this particular match remains one of the most viewed cricket matches of all time with an impressive 495 million viewers. The India and Pakistani rivalry is one of the greatest sporting oppositions of all time, with both political and diplomatic issues playing their part in this fractious relationship; this match was even referred to as a war. In the end, India won the game by 29 runs. Just as well as they were in front of their home crowd. 

1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics

Super Bowl XLIX

Source: post-gazette.com 

Without a doubt the Super Bowl, with its legendary half time show and insanely funded ads, draws a heck of a big crowd. The largest TV audience for one such event, was the XLIX in 2015, where 115 million of us watched the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks and win 28-24. A large portion of the audience was properly under 12 however, as Frozen's Elsa sang the national anthem.