Image: Top 10 Most Watched Sporting Events in the world in 2024
Sports are enjoyed by everybody. However, national interests differ in roots. American sports fans are devoted to baseball, basketball, and football. Fans from other countries adore cricket and soccer. Not to be overlooked are extreme sports.
Television confirms this. The NBA Finals, World Series, and Super Bowl are the three biggest events in American sports. The FIFA World Cup and the Olympics are the most widely viewed international sporting events worldwide.
According to the number of people who watch these sports events on television, they are the most popular worldwide.
| Sporting Event | TV Viewership |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl | 124 million |
| Champions League | 450 million |
| Indian Premier League | 449 million |
| Boxing | 1 billion |
| Women's FIFA World Cup | 1.12 billion |
| Winter Olympics | 2 billion |
| Cricket World Cup | 2.6 billion |
| Summer Olympics | 3.05 billion |
| Men's FIFA World Cup | 3.3 billion |
| Tour de France | 3.3 billion |
Image Source: Twitter / Super Bowl viewership
TV viewership: 124 million
The conclusion of an NFL prediction season. On Super Bowl Sunday, the nation comes to a complete stop as festivities take place across the nation.
For the week preceding the Big Game, the host city is full. Viewers of the Champions League and other club/franchise tournament finals are still far away from Super Bowl crowds.
Roger Goodell anticipates the disparity will close in the upcoming years, though, as the NFL steps up its attempts to draw in foreign fans by adding additional games to the UK and Germany.
The 2024 Super Bowl between the 49ers of San Francisco and the Chiefs of Kansas City broke attendance records. The Super Bowl saw a new audience thanks to Taylor Swift's 'love story' with Travis Kelce. Millions more people watched it worldwide, making it the most-viewed television program in US history.
123.7 million viewers on average blast away past Super Bowl viewership records. The Chiefs' addition of another ring and Patrick Mahomes' involvement was a major plot point, but Swifties' enthusiasm undoubtedly affected the amount of viewers.
Image Source: Twitter / Champions League TV viewership
TV viewership: 450 million
The Champions League has the highest global viewership among club-level team sports. Approximately 700 million people are thought to have seen Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2022 final. It is claimed that 450 million people watched the 2023 final.
Because of the caliber of quality at the top European teams, many would contend that the Champions League is the best football league in the globe. Knockout matches are always exciting because of their two-leg structure, which provides 180 minutes of twists, turns, and tactical adjustments.
Image Source: Twitter / IPL TV viewership
TV viewership: 449 million
Disney Star, the Indian Premier League's (IPL) 2023 television broadcaster, said on Thursday that the tournament's 2023 season had more than half a billion viewers, making it the league's highest-rated season ever.
The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India reports that 505 million people watched the cricket spectacular that was broadcast on the Star Sports Network. Disney Star said in a press release that the unprecedented 427.1 billion minutes of audience viewing time was also recorded.
In addition, the broadcaster saw an increase in television ratings of 32% as compared to the 2022 IPL season. The tournament's greatest peak concurrency of 64.1 million was recorded in the grand final between the challenger Chennai Super Kings and the reigning champion Gujarat Titans.
Image Source: Twitter / Boxing TV viewership
TV viewership: 1 billion
It's difficult to estimate how many people watch boxing annually. Football games and other major events are easier to obtain than bouts.
There isn't a competition to draw spectators in for a certain amount of time. Even while the pay-per-view model generates large profits, it invariably results in lower watching numbers than they might.
But there's no denying that some of the most well-known sportsmen in the world are among the greatest boxers of all time.
Boxing garners media attention. Even if you have no interest in the sport, you are probably aware of the most well-known bouts. The viewing figures may take you by surprise. There is a reason why there is so much money on the line.
Image Source: Twitter / Women's FIFA World Cup TV viewership
TV viewership: 1.12 billion
Over one billion people tuned in to witness the FIFA World Cup for women in 2019. After losing to Sweden in the playoffs, England had to settle for fourth place in the tournament, while the USA won their fourth title in eight editions after defeating the Netherlands in the final.
In the summer of 2023, Australia and New Zealand hosted the World Cup. According to some sources, more than two billion people watched at least some of the World Cup, with a sizable audience coming in from the UK despite the difficult kickoff times.
With England making it to the final, records were shattered. In the UK, more people watched the 2023 World Cup final than the Wimbledon Men's Singles final.
Image Source: Twitter / Winter Olympics TV viewership
TV viewership: 2 billion
Over two billion people watched the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, according to the IOC.
According to reports, the number of viewers for the Games is declining, with the US posting the lowest numbers ever for the 2022 competition—breaking the record set by the 2018 Pyeongchang event.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan, expecting to draw a larger global audience.
Image Source: Twitter / Cricket World Cup TV viewership
TV viewership: 2.6 billion
Since the 2005 Ashes, cricket has fallen out of favour in the UK, however select matches have since returned to terrestrial television. The sport is in a never-ending battle for viewership.
Other nations have a different equilibrium. Particularly, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India are passionate about cricket.
Even though only a small number of countries play cricket, these watching numbers may appear high given the huge fraction of the population that these nations comprise, as well as the high percentage of cricket-obsessed fans. There are well over a billion people living in India alone.
Image Source: Twitter / Olympics TV viewership
TV viewership: 3.05 billion
Tokyo's Summer Olympics were rescheduled for 2020 and finally took place in 2021. Viewing numbers down from the London Games in 2012, which had declined from the Games in Rio five years before.
There seems to be less interest in the Olympics, but this might also be attributed to the drastically altered media landscape. You don't have to spend hours watching live sports when you can just watch critical moments and highlights on social media.
Maybe the greatest method to gauge public enthusiasm for the Olympics these days isn't via television.
Image Source: Twitter / FIFA World Cup TV viewership
TV viewership: 3.3 billion
In 2022, around 1.5 billion viewers tuned in to see the France vs. Argentina final. The Men's FIFA World Cup is a football festival that takes place over a month, with as many as four matches taking place on certain days.
Many people find the World Cup appealing, ranging from those who get interested just when a tournament starts to those who keep track of their country's results during every international break. Combine the drama and celebrity of knockout football with the potential for a sizable television viewership.
Image Source: Twitter / Tour de France TV viewership
TV viewership: 3.3 billion
Alright, so this one is a little controversial because some have questioned the assertion that 3.5 billion people watch the Tour de France.
Nevertheless, the Tour is without a doubt one of the biggest sports events of the year. And many will tune in for a little while, if only out of curiosity rather than a deeper passion for cycling. The Tour de France is becoming more popular in America, which should give their numbers a significant boost in the upcoming years.
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