the most watched tv broadcasts ever

#10 - "Gone with the Wind" (part 1 of 2) (34 million households, 47.7% of US households) 1976
         "Gone with the Wind" (part 2 of 2) (37.8 mil households, 47.4% of US households) 1976

#9 - XVII Winter Olympics: (Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding figure skating) (46m households, 48.5%) 1994

#8 - Super Bowl XVII (Redskins vs. Dolphins) (41m households, 48.6%) 1983

#7 - Super Bowl XVI (49ers vs. Bengals) (40m households, 49.1%) 1982

#6 - Roots, Part 8 (miniseries finale) (36m households, 51.1%) 1976

#5 - Dallas episode: "Who shot J.R.?" (41m households, 53%) 1980

#4 - M*A*S*H series finale (50m households, 60%) 1983

#3 - I Love Lucy episode: "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" (44m viewers, 72% of households) 1953

#2 - The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles first appearance (73m viewers, 45% of households) 1964

#1 - The Ed Sullivan Show: Elvis Presley's first appearance (60m viewers , 83% of households) 1956

All the ones on the list were on one channel or network only. I was 3 at the time of the JFK assassination so I don't remember the TV coverage but I remember the moon landing well, and it was broadcast on all the major networks and even on some local stations, wasn't it? It was pretty close to 100% of the households that had their TV on.

Kennedy's funeral and the moon landing have to top these.

At least that would be my guess. Evene though there were only 3 nets and a sort of a public station, no one could probably claim 70% of the audience.
Plus, if they were like me I was constantly changing the channel to see what the other stations had. Before remotes, even.

#6 - Roots, Part 8 (miniseries finale) (36m households, 51.1%) 1976

#4 - M*A*S*H series finale (50m households, 60%) 1983

#2 - The Ed Sullivan Show: The Beatles first appearance (73m viewers, 45% of households) 1964

"Gone with the Wind" than the first half. WTF is up with that?!

it's so boring.

That makes sense.

It's sort of surprising that any show from the 50's could make the list, considering that less than half of US households had tvs at that time.

Someone who had a TV would invite her friends over to watch it.

For example; number 2 shows the the greatest number of viewers, yet the lowest percentage of households.

(sp)

their children watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. My mother let me watch...I was 14 years old.

She left the room each time The Beatles were on. My mother was 52 years old at the time.


Tikki