GITNUXREPORT 2026

Sports Viewership Statistics

Soccer’s FIFA World Cup dominates global viewership, while American football leads in the United States.

Rajesh Patel

Team Lead & Senior Researcher with over 15 years of experience in market research and data analytics.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

The Super Bowl LVII in 2023 averaged 115.1 million viewers on Fox, the second most-watched US broadcast ever.

Statistic 2

Super Bowl LVI in 2022 on NBC drew 112.73 million viewers.

Statistic 3

NFL Thanksgiving Day games in 2023 averaged 37.2 million viewers across CBS, NBC, Fox.

Statistic 4

AFC Championship Game 2023 (Chiefs vs Bengals) had 53.6 million viewers on CBS.

Statistic 5

NFC Championship 2023 (Eagles vs 49ers) drew 47.8 million on Fox.

Statistic 6

NFL regular season games averaged 17.9 million viewers in 2023 on broadcast TV.

Statistic 7

Monday Night Football on ESPN averaged 16.2 million viewers in 2023.

Statistic 8

College Football Playoff National Championship 2023 (TCU vs Georgia) had 26.2 million on ESPN.

Statistic 9

NFL Draft first round 2023 drew 8.1 million viewers on ESPN/NFL Network.

Statistic 10

Pro Bowl 2023 had 5.9 million viewers, up from previous years.

Statistic 11

NFL Christmas Day games 2023 on Netflix averaged 24.7 million viewers globally.

Statistic 12

Week 1 NFL Sunday Night Football 2023 opener drew 19.8 million on NBC.

Statistic 13

Divisional Playoff games 2023 averaged 38.5 million viewers.

Statistic 14

Super Bowl LVIII trailer averaged 115 million projected for 2024.

Statistic 15

NFL on Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football averaged 9.6 million in 2023.

Statistic 16

Wild Card Weekend 2023 games averaged 28.4 million viewers.

Statistic 17

NBA Finals Game 7 in 2016 (Cavaliers vs Warriors) drew 31.02 million US viewers on ABC.

Statistic 18

2023 NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers across ABC.

Statistic 19

Christmas Day NBA games 2023 averaged 5.2 million viewers on ESPN/ABC.

Statistic 20

NBA regular season on TNT averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2023-24.

Statistic 21

WNBA Finals 2023 Game 4 (Aces vs Liberty) peaked at 1.2 million on ESPN.

Statistic 22

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship 2023 (UConn vs San Diego St) had 14.8 million on CBS.

Statistic 23

NBA All-Star Game 2024 drew 5.8 million viewers on TNT.

Statistic 24

EuroLeague Final Four 2023 averaged 1.5 million viewers in Europe.

Statistic 25

NBA on ABC Saturday primetime averaged 2.1 million in 2023.

Statistic 26

Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) finals 2023 drew 45 million viewers on CCTV.

Statistic 27

NCAA Women's Final Four 2024 semifinals averaged 4.5 million on ESPN.

Statistic 28

NBA In-Season Tournament final 2023 had 2.1 million viewers on TNT.

Statistic 29

Basketball Champions League final 2023 reached 800,000 viewers online.

Statistic 30

Philippine Basketball Association games average 1.5 million on TV5 in 2023.

Statistic 31

NBA Play-In Tournament games averaged 1.8 million in 2024.

Statistic 32

FIBA World Cup 2023 final (Germany vs Serbia) had 78 million global viewers.

Statistic 33

Big3 League games average 500,000 viewers on CBS in 2023.

Statistic 34

NBA G-League finals 2023 drew 250,000 viewers on ESPN.

Statistic 35

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony drew 42.5 million US viewers across NBCUniversal platforms.

Statistic 36

Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony had 28.6 million US viewers on NBC.

Statistic 37

Rio 2016 Olympics averaged 27.5 million US primetime viewers per night.

Statistic 38

London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony drew 31 million UK viewers on BBC.

Statistic 39

Beijing 2008 Olympics final week averaged 215 million Chinese viewers daily on CCTV.

Statistic 40

PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics US average was 19.9 million per primetime.

Statistic 41

Tokyo 2020 men's basketball final (USA vs France) had 8.4 million US viewers.

Statistic 42

Paris 2024 women's soccer final projected 15 million global viewers.

Statistic 43

Commonwealth Games 2022 opening ceremony drew 2.5 million UK viewers on BBC.

Statistic 44

Pan American Games 2023 had 100 million cumulative viewers across Americas.

Statistic 45

Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou final events averaged 500 million Chinese viewers.

Statistic 46

Winter Olympics Beijing 2022 opening drew 36.9 million US viewers.

Statistic 47

Olympics track and field finals in Paris 2024 expected 400 million global.

Statistic 48

Special Olympics World Games 2023 had 1 billion social media impressions.

Statistic 49

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 reached 1.5 billion global audience.

Statistic 50

Paralympics Tokyo 2020 averaged 10 million UK viewers on Channel 4.

Statistic 51

Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony 2.2 million UK viewers.

Statistic 52

World Games 2022 Birmingham AL drew 50 million cumulative viewers.

Statistic 53

European Games 2023 Krakow had 200 million European viewers.

Statistic 54

Pacific Games 2023 Solomon Islands reached 10 million regional viewers.

Statistic 55

Wimbledon 2023 men's final (Alcaraz vs Djokovic) drew 10.2 million UK viewers on BBC.

Statistic 56

Cricket World Cup 2023 final (India vs Australia) had 300 million Indian TV viewers on Star Sports.

Statistic 57

MLB World Series Game 5 2023 (Diamondbacks vs Rangers) averaged 11.87 million US viewers on Fox.

Statistic 58

Tour de France 2023 final stage drew 12.8 million French viewers on France TV.

Statistic 59

Formula 1 Monaco GP 2023 had 1.8 million US viewers on ESPN.

Statistic 60

Boxing: Fury vs Usyk heavyweight unification 2024 projected 80 million PPV buys globally.

Statistic 61

IPL 2023 final (CSK vs GT) drew 32.9 million Indian viewers on Star Sports.

Statistic 62

US Open Golf 2023 final round had 4.5 million on NBC/Peacock.

Statistic 63

Rugby World Cup 2023 final (South Africa vs NZ) had 16.4 million global peak viewers.

Statistic 64

Masters Golf Tournament 2024 final round drew 12.7 million on CBS/ESPN.

Statistic 65

UFC 285 (Jones vs Gane) PPV bought by 700,000 US households.

Statistic 66

Daytona 500 2024 had 6.1 million US viewers on Fox.

Statistic 67

Australian Open 2024 women's final (Swiatek vs Zheng) 1.5 million Australian viewers.

Statistic 68

Ryder Cup 2023 singles matches averaged 3.2 million US viewers on NBC.

Statistic 69

NBA vs MLB All-Star comparison shows NBA higher, but MLB 2023 ASG had 7.2 million.

Statistic 70

Indy 500 2023 drew 5.3 million US viewers on NBC.

Statistic 71

French Open 2023 men's final 2.1 million French viewers on France 2.

Statistic 72

Ashes Cricket 2023 first Test averaged 2.5 million Australian viewers on Fox Cricket.

Statistic 73

WWE WrestleMania 39 Night 2 had 2.3 million Netflix-equivalent viewers.

Statistic 74

PGA Championship 2024 final round 10.2 million on CBS.

Statistic 75

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France drew a global television audience of 1.5 billion viewers, peaking at 1.41 billion during extra time.

Statistic 76

In the US, the 2022 World Cup final averaged 25.4 million viewers on Fox, the highest for a soccer match not involving the US team.

Statistic 77

The 2018 FIFA World Cup final had a cumulative global audience of over 3.5 billion viewers across all matches.

Statistic 78

Premier League matches in the UK averaged 3.2 million viewers per game on Sky Sports during the 2022-23 season.

Statistic 79

La Liga's El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid in October 2022 attracted 1.2 million viewers in the US on ESPN.

Statistic 80

The UEFA Champions League final 2023 between Manchester City and Inter Milan had 450 million global viewers.

Statistic 81

In India, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers drew 150 million viewers on Star Sports.

Statistic 82

Bundesliga's top match Bayern Munich vs Dortmund in 2023 averaged 8.5 million viewers in Germany on Sky.

Statistic 83

Serie A matches in Italy saw an average of 1.8 million viewers per game on DAZN in 2022-23.

Statistic 84

The 2021 Copa America final reached 168 million viewers across South America.

Statistic 85

MLS Cup 2022 final between LAFC and Philadelphia Union had 1.88 million US viewers on Fox.

Statistic 86

African Cup of Nations 2022 final drew 200 million viewers across Africa.

Statistic 87

Ligue 1's PSG matches averaged 2.1 million viewers in France on Canal+ in 2023.

Statistic 88

The 2023 Women's World Cup final had 423 million global viewers.

Statistic 89

Eredivisie top games in Netherlands averaged 900,000 viewers on Videoland in 2023.

Statistic 90

Brazilian Serie A final 2022 reached 35 million viewers on Globo.

Statistic 91

J-League matches in Japan averaged 1.2 million viewers on DAZN Japan 2023.

Statistic 92

A-League in Australia saw 500,000 average viewers per match on Network 10 in 2023.

Statistic 93

Saudi Pro League's Messi debut match in 2023 drew 2.5 million global viewers.

Statistic 94

Europa League final 2023 had 150 million viewers in Europe.

1/94

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When billions across the globe collectively hold their breath during a World Cup final's extra time, the staggering scale of modern sports viewership reveals a world more connected by the drama on the field than ever before.

Key Takeaways

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France drew a global television audience of 1.5 billion viewers, peaking at 1.41 billion during extra time.
In the US, the 2022 World Cup final averaged 25.4 million viewers on Fox, the highest for a soccer match not involving the US team.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup final had a cumulative global audience of over 3.5 billion viewers across all matches.
The Super Bowl LVII in 2023 averaged 115.1 million viewers on Fox, the second most-watched US broadcast ever.
Super Bowl LVI in 2022 on NBC drew 112.73 million viewers.
NFL Thanksgiving Day games in 2023 averaged 37.2 million viewers across CBS, NBC, Fox.
NBA Finals Game 7 in 2016 (Cavaliers vs Warriors) drew 31.02 million US viewers on ABC.
2023 NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers across ABC.
Christmas Day NBA games 2023 averaged 5.2 million viewers on ESPN/ABC.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony drew 42.5 million US viewers across NBCUniversal platforms.
Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony had 28.6 million US viewers on NBC.
Rio 2016 Olympics averaged 27.5 million US primetime viewers per night.
Wimbledon 2023 men's final (Alcaraz vs Djokovic) drew 10.2 million UK viewers on BBC.
Cricket World Cup 2023 final (India vs Australia) had 300 million Indian TV viewers on Star Sports.
MLB World Series Game 5 2023 (Diamondbacks vs Rangers) averaged 11.87 million US viewers on Fox.

Soccer’s FIFA World Cup dominates global viewership, while American football leads in the United States.

American Football Viewership

The Super Bowl LVII in 2023 averaged 115.1 million viewers on Fox, the second most-watched US broadcast ever.
Super Bowl LVI in 2022 on NBC drew 112.73 million viewers.
NFL Thanksgiving Day games in 2023 averaged 37.2 million viewers across CBS, NBC, Fox.
AFC Championship Game 2023 (Chiefs vs Bengals) had 53.6 million viewers on CBS.
NFC Championship 2023 (Eagles vs 49ers) drew 47.8 million on Fox.
NFL regular season games averaged 17.9 million viewers in 2023 on broadcast TV.
Monday Night Football on ESPN averaged 16.2 million viewers in 2023.
College Football Playoff National Championship 2023 (TCU vs Georgia) had 26.2 million on ESPN.
NFL Draft first round 2023 drew 8.1 million viewers on ESPN/NFL Network.
Pro Bowl 2023 had 5.9 million viewers, up from previous years.
NFL Christmas Day games 2023 on Netflix averaged 24.7 million viewers globally.
Week 1 NFL Sunday Night Football 2023 opener drew 19.8 million on NBC.
Divisional Playoff games 2023 averaged 38.5 million viewers.
Super Bowl LVIII trailer averaged 115 million projected for 2024.
NFL on Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football averaged 9.6 million in 2023.
Wild Card Weekend 2023 games averaged 28.4 million viewers.

American Football Viewership Interpretation

The Super Bowl's viewership is a towering, singular skyscraper of cultural obsession, but the NFL's true power is that even the 'boring' regular-season and playoff games are bustling cities of viewers that dwarf everything else on the sports calendar.

Basketball Viewership

NBA Finals Game 7 in 2016 (Cavaliers vs Warriors) drew 31.02 million US viewers on ABC.
2023 NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers across ABC.
Christmas Day NBA games 2023 averaged 5.2 million viewers on ESPN/ABC.
NBA regular season on TNT averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2023-24.
WNBA Finals 2023 Game 4 (Aces vs Liberty) peaked at 1.2 million on ESPN.
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship 2023 (UConn vs San Diego St) had 14.8 million on CBS.
NBA All-Star Game 2024 drew 5.8 million viewers on TNT.
EuroLeague Final Four 2023 averaged 1.5 million viewers in Europe.
NBA on ABC Saturday primetime averaged 2.1 million in 2023.
Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) finals 2023 drew 45 million viewers on CCTV.
NCAA Women's Final Four 2024 semifinals averaged 4.5 million on ESPN.
NBA In-Season Tournament final 2023 had 2.1 million viewers on TNT.
Basketball Champions League final 2023 reached 800,000 viewers online.
Philippine Basketball Association games average 1.5 million on TV5 in 2023.
NBA Play-In Tournament games averaged 1.8 million in 2024.
FIBA World Cup 2023 final (Germany vs Serbia) had 78 million global viewers.
Big3 League games average 500,000 viewers on CBS in 2023.
NBA G-League finals 2023 drew 250,000 viewers on ESPN.

Basketball Viewership Interpretation

Despite the NBA’s dominance of the American sports bar conversation, its regular-season chatter is often just background noise compared to the global shouting match for international championships or the nostalgic, city-wide scream of a historic Game 7.

Olympics and Multi-Sport Events

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony drew 42.5 million US viewers across NBCUniversal platforms.
Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony had 28.6 million US viewers on NBC.
Rio 2016 Olympics averaged 27.5 million US primetime viewers per night.
London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony drew 31 million UK viewers on BBC.
Beijing 2008 Olympics final week averaged 215 million Chinese viewers daily on CCTV.
PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics US average was 19.9 million per primetime.
Tokyo 2020 men's basketball final (USA vs France) had 8.4 million US viewers.
Paris 2024 women's soccer final projected 15 million global viewers.
Commonwealth Games 2022 opening ceremony drew 2.5 million UK viewers on BBC.
Pan American Games 2023 had 100 million cumulative viewers across Americas.
Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou final events averaged 500 million Chinese viewers.
Winter Olympics Beijing 2022 opening drew 36.9 million US viewers.
Olympics track and field finals in Paris 2024 expected 400 million global.
Special Olympics World Games 2023 had 1 billion social media impressions.
Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 reached 1.5 billion global audience.
Paralympics Tokyo 2020 averaged 10 million UK viewers on Channel 4.
Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony 2.2 million UK viewers.
World Games 2022 Birmingham AL drew 50 million cumulative viewers.
European Games 2023 Krakow had 200 million European viewers.
Pacific Games 2023 Solomon Islands reached 10 million regional viewers.

Olympics and Multi-Sport Events Interpretation

The Olympic flame still burns brightest, but viewership patterns reveal a fragmented world where the home team's success and national pride often draw bigger crowds than the opening ceremony's global unity parade.

Other Sports Viewership

Wimbledon 2023 men's final (Alcaraz vs Djokovic) drew 10.2 million UK viewers on BBC.
Cricket World Cup 2023 final (India vs Australia) had 300 million Indian TV viewers on Star Sports.
MLB World Series Game 5 2023 (Diamondbacks vs Rangers) averaged 11.87 million US viewers on Fox.
Tour de France 2023 final stage drew 12.8 million French viewers on France TV.
Formula 1 Monaco GP 2023 had 1.8 million US viewers on ESPN.
Boxing: Fury vs Usyk heavyweight unification 2024 projected 80 million PPV buys globally.
IPL 2023 final (CSK vs GT) drew 32.9 million Indian viewers on Star Sports.
US Open Golf 2023 final round had 4.5 million on NBC/Peacock.
Rugby World Cup 2023 final (South Africa vs NZ) had 16.4 million global peak viewers.
Masters Golf Tournament 2024 final round drew 12.7 million on CBS/ESPN.
UFC 285 (Jones vs Gane) PPV bought by 700,000 US households.
Daytona 500 2024 had 6.1 million US viewers on Fox.
Australian Open 2024 women's final (Swiatek vs Zheng) 1.5 million Australian viewers.
Ryder Cup 2023 singles matches averaged 3.2 million US viewers on NBC.
NBA vs MLB All-Star comparison shows NBA higher, but MLB 2023 ASG had 7.2 million.
Indy 500 2023 drew 5.3 million US viewers on NBC.
French Open 2023 men's final 2.1 million French viewers on France 2.
Ashes Cricket 2023 first Test averaged 2.5 million Australian viewers on Fox Cricket.
WWE WrestleMania 39 Night 2 had 2.3 million Netflix-equivalent viewers.
PGA Championship 2024 final round 10.2 million on CBS.

Other Sports Viewership Interpretation

The story these numbers tell is that while a sport's global appeal can be astronomical, its true cultural gravity is most powerfully measured by how many people in its heartland drop everything to watch.

Soccer/Football Viewership

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France drew a global television audience of 1.5 billion viewers, peaking at 1.41 billion during extra time.
In the US, the 2022 World Cup final averaged 25.4 million viewers on Fox, the highest for a soccer match not involving the US team.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup final had a cumulative global audience of over 3.5 billion viewers across all matches.
Premier League matches in the UK averaged 3.2 million viewers per game on Sky Sports during the 2022-23 season.
La Liga's El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid in October 2022 attracted 1.2 million viewers in the US on ESPN.
The UEFA Champions League final 2023 between Manchester City and Inter Milan had 450 million global viewers.
In India, the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers drew 150 million viewers on Star Sports.
Bundesliga's top match Bayern Munich vs Dortmund in 2023 averaged 8.5 million viewers in Germany on Sky.
Serie A matches in Italy saw an average of 1.8 million viewers per game on DAZN in 2022-23.
The 2021 Copa America final reached 168 million viewers across South America.
MLS Cup 2022 final between LAFC and Philadelphia Union had 1.88 million US viewers on Fox.
African Cup of Nations 2022 final drew 200 million viewers across Africa.
Ligue 1's PSG matches averaged 2.1 million viewers in France on Canal+ in 2023.
The 2023 Women's World Cup final had 423 million global viewers.
Eredivisie top games in Netherlands averaged 900,000 viewers on Videoland in 2023.
Brazilian Serie A final 2022 reached 35 million viewers on Globo.
J-League matches in Japan averaged 1.2 million viewers on DAZN Japan 2023.
A-League in Australia saw 500,000 average viewers per match on Network 10 in 2023.
Saudi Pro League's Messi debut match in 2023 drew 2.5 million global viewers.
Europa League final 2023 had 150 million viewers in Europe.

Soccer/Football Viewership Interpretation

Soccer is the undisputed king of global television, but its empire is a complex mosaic of regional passions and fleeting moments of universal attention.

Sources & References

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