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2023's 100 Most-Watched Telecasts: CBS Scores Big But NFL Dominates

Here's a look at 2023's Top 100 Most-Watched Telecasts, with CBS scoring big... but it's pretty clear that we really, REALLY like the NFL.


Earlier this week, we had a chance to take a look at the ranking of this year's "Most-Watched Television Networks" by Variety's Michael Schneider. Now, we're getting a chance to dive deeper into 2023's 100 most-watched primetime telecasts – and let's just get this out of the way. You like the NFL. Like, a lot. Like… a lot. But we'll get to that in a minute. From the networks' standpoint, CBS had a very impressive showing – with 12 episodes of NCIS, five episodes of Blue Bloods, and FBI and Young Sheldon, each landing four episodes – all included in CBS's 39 total entries. Following CBS was NBC with 24 (vs. 26 last year), ABC with 15, Prime Video with 11, Fox with 7, ESPN with 2, and TNT & Paramount with one each. In addition, entertainment telecasts like ABC's Oscars broadcast and CBS's Grammys broadcast also saw big viewership numbers in 2023 – but the big headline belongs to sports. While sports controlled 56 of the 100 spots, the breakdown made it pretty clear who the head of the table was: 45 NFL games, 6 NBA Finals games, 3 NCAA Basketball March Madness games & one each for college football and FOX's The OT NFL postgame show.

NFL
Image: NFL Screencap

2023's Most-Watched Primetime Telecasts (Total Viewers): NFL & More!

Here's a look at the Top 100 most-watched (in Live+7 ratings) primetime telecasts for 2023 – which also included the top 100 among Adults 18-49. In addition, Variety also offered links to the rankings from previous years for folks who want to do some deep diving into what it all means:2022202120202019201820172016, and 2015.

Rank PROGRAM (NETWORK) VIEWERS DATE AIRED
1. Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City vs. Philadelphia (Fox) 114,956,000 2/12/2023
2. AFC Championship: Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (CBS) 53,478,000 1/29/2023
3. NFC Playoff: San Francisco vs. Dallas (Fox)      45,864,000 1/22/2023
4. NFC Playoff: Philadelphia vs. NY Giants (Fox) 28,867,000 1/21/2023
5. NFL Playoff: Cincinnati vs. Baltimore (NBC) 27,083,000 1/15/2023
6. NFL Thursday Night Special: Detroit vs. Kansas City (NBC) 25,042,000 9/7/2023
7. NFL Sunday Night Football: Kansas City vs. NY Jets (NBC) 25,021,000 10/1/2023
8. NFL Thursday Night Special: San Francisco vs. Seattle (NBC) 25,006,000 11/23/2023
9. NFL Sunday Night Football: San Francisco vs. Dallas (NBC) 24,495,000 10/8/2023
10. NFL Sunday Night Football: Green Bay vs. Kansas City (NBC)         23,812,000 12/3/2023
11. NFL Sunday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (NBC) 22,412,000 1/8/2023
12. NFL Playoff Game: LA Chargers vs. Jacksonville (NBC) 20,817,000 1/14/2023
13. NFL Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Miami (NBC) 20,775,000 10/22/2023
14. NFL Sunday Night Football: Dallas vs. NY Giants (NBC)      20,308,000 9/10/2023
15. The Oscars (ABC) 19,412,000 3/12/2023
16. NFL Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Las Vegas (NBC) 19,324,000 9/24/2023
17. NFL Sunday Night Football: Denver vs. Minneapolis (NBC) 18,565,000 11/19/2023
18. NFL Sunday Night Football: Cincinnati vs. Buffalo (NBC) 18,492,000 11/5/2023
19. NFL Sunday Night Football: Miami vs. New England (NBC) 17,984,000 9/17/2023
20. NFL Wild Card Game: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ABC) 17,870,000 1/16/2023
21. NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. LA Rams (NBC) 17,337,000 1/1/2023
22. Next Level Chef: S2E1 "A Next Level Welcome" (Fox) 16,893,000 2/12/2023
23. NFL Sunday Night FootballBuffalo vs. NY Giants (NBC) 16,794,000 10/15/2023
24. NFL Sunday Night Football: Baltimore vs. LA Chargers (NBC) 16,509,000 11/26/2023
25. NFL Sunday Night Football: LA Chargers vs. Chicago (NBC) 15,803,000 10/29/2023
26. NFL Sunday Night Football: Las Vegas vs. NY Jets (NBC) 15,735,000 11/12/2023
27. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Philadelphia vs. Kansas City (ABC) 15,714,000 11/20/2023
28. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland (ABC) 15,623,000 9/18/2023
29. NFL Thursday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Minnesota (Prime Video) 15,375,000 9/14/2023
30. NFL Thursday Night Football: Dallas vs. Seattle (Prime Video) 15,355,000 11/30/2023
31. NCAA Basketball Championship: UConn vs. San Diego State (CBS) 14,794,000 4/3/2023
32. NFL Thursday Night Football: Kansas City vs. Denver (Prime Video) 14,077,000 10/12/2023
33. NFL Thursday Night Football: San Francisco vs. NY Giants (Prime Video) 14,034,000 9/21/2023
34. NFL Thursday Night Football: Detroit vs. Green Bay (Prime Video) 13,588,000 9/28/2023
35. NBA Finals Game 5: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) 13,392,000 6/12/2023
36. Grammy Awards (CBS) 13,376,000 2/5/2023
37. NFL Thursday Night Football: Baltimore vs. Cincinnati (Prime Video) 13,086,000 11/16/2023
38. NCAA Basketball Final Four: UConn vs. Miami (CBS) 12,969,000 4/1/2023
39. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Jacksonville vs. Tennessee (ABC) 12,694,000 1/7/2023
40. 60 Minutes: S55,E17 "Prince Harry; Hans Zimmer" (CBS) 12,464,000 1/8/2023
41. 60 Minutes: S56,E1 "President Zelenskyy; Into the Streets; Prime Time in Colorado" (CBS) 12,352,000 9/17/2023
42. CBS NCAA Basketball Bridge (CBS) 12,285,000 4/1/2023
43. Fire Country: S1, E12 "Two Pink Lines" (CBS) 12,225,000 1/29/2023
44. NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami vs. Boston (TNT) 12,033,000 5/29/2023
45. NBA Finals Game 2: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) 11,960,000 6/4/2023
46. NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Washington (Prime Video) 11,777,000 10/5/2023
47. NFL Wildcard: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay (ESPN) 11,753,000 1/16/2023
48. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: NY Jets vs. Buffalo (ABC) 11,749,000 9/11/2023
49. NFL Monday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. Kansas City (ESPN) 11,642,000 11/20/2023
50. NFL Thursday Night Football: Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee (Prime Video) 11,591,000 11/2/2023
51. The OT (Fox) 11,474,000 9/24/2023
t. Yellowstone: S5E8 "A Knife and No Coin" (Paramount Network) 11,474,000 1/1/2023
53. NFL Thursday Night Football: Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay (Prime Video) 11,287,000 10/26/2023
54. NBA Finals Game 3: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) 11,275,000 6/7/2023
55. NCIS: S20E10 "Too Many Cooks" (CBS) 11,254,000 1/9/2023
56. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Cincinnati vs. Buffalo (ABC) 11,168,000 1/2/2023
57. NBA Finals Game 1: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) 11,108,000 6/1/2023
58. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Dallas vs. LA Chargers (ABC) 10,865,000 10/16/2023
59. Accused: S1E1 "Scott's Story" (Fox) 10,604,000 1/22/2023
60. NCIS Hawai'i: S2E10 "Deep Fake" (CBS) 10,546,000 1/9/2023
61. NBA Finals Game 4: Denver vs. Miami (ABC) 10,509,000 6/9/2023
t. 60 Minutes: S56,E6 "The Five Eyes; A Prisoner of Iran; Pink; The Isle of Man" (CBS) 10,509,000 10/22/2023
63. NCIS: S20E12 "Big Rig" (CBS) 10,495,000 1/23/2023
64. FBI: S5E10 "Second Life"(CBS) 10,397,000 1/3/2023
65. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Dallas vs. LA Chargers (ABC) 10,300,000 10/23/2023
66. FBI: S5E12 "Breakdown"(CBS) 10,275,000 1/24/2023
67. 60 Minutes: S56,E7 "VP Harris; A Quiet Invasion; The Air We Breathe; The State of the Blues" (CBS) 10,207,000 10/29/2023
68. 60 Minutes: S56,E4 "The Godfather of AI; General Milley; Rich Paul; 3D Printing" (CBS) 10,178,000 10/8/2023
69. NCIS: S20E16 "Butterfly Effect" (CBS) 10,167,000 3/13/2023
70. NFL Monday Night Football on ABC: Chicago vs. Minnesota(ABC) 10,157,000 11/27/2023
71. Big Ten Football Championship Game: Michigan vs. Iowa (Fox) 10,119,000 12/2/2023
72. NCIS: S20E13 "Evil Eye" (CBS) 10,106,000 2/6/2023
73. NCIS: S20E15 "Unusual Suspects" (CBS) 10,061,000 2/27/2023
74. NCIS: S20E14 "Old Wounds" (CBS) 9,993,000 2/13/2023
75. FBI: S5E11 "Heroes"(CBS) 9,990,000 1/10/2023
76. 60 Minutes: S55,E16 "Radio Free Europe; The Vanishing Wild; Obesity" (CBS) 9,980,000 1/1/2023
77. 60 Minutes: S55,E27 "Feeling of Feeling; Silicon Valley Scandal; Charles Barkley" (CBS) 9,974,000 3/26/2023
78. NCIS: Los Angeles: S14E10 "A Long Time Coming" (CBS) 9,962,000 1/9/2023
79. Young Sheldon: S6E14 "A Launch Party and a Whole Human Being" (CBS) 9,906,000 3/2/2023
80. FBI: S5E13 "Protégé"(CBS) 9,875,000 2/14/2023
81. NFL Thursday Night Football: Jacksonville vs. New Orleans (Prime Video) 9,839,000 10/19/2023
82. NCIS: S20E18 "Head Games" (CBS) 9,834,000 4/10/2023
83. Young Sheldon: S6E15 "Teen Angst and a Smart-Boy Walk of Shame" (CBS) 9,790,000 3/9/2023
84. Blue Bloods: S13E14 "Collision Course" (CBS) 9,718,000 3/3/2023
85. Blue Bloods: S13E11 "Lost Ones" (CBS) 9,701,000 1/20/2023
86. Chicago Fire: S11E12 "How Does It End?" (NBC) 9,686,000 1/18/2023
t. Blue Bloods: S13E12 "The Big Leagues" (CBS) 9,686,000 2/3/2023
88. NCIS: S20E21 "Kompromat" (CBS) 9,683,000 5/15/2023
89. Young Sheldon: S6E12 "A Baby Shower and a Testosterone-Rich Banter" (CBS) 9,662,000 2/9/2023
90. Chicago Fire: S11E11 "A Guy I Used to Know" (NBC) 9,650,000 1/11/2023
91. NFL Thursday Night Football: Chicago vs. Carolina (Prime Video) 9,640,000 11/9/2023
t. Young Sheldon: S6E9 "College Dropouts and the Medford Miracle" (CBS) 9,640,000 1/5/2023
93. NCIS: S20E17 "Stranger in a Strange Land" (CBS) 9,630,000 3/20/2023
94. Night Court: S1E1 "Pilot" (NBC) 9,628,000 1/17/2023
95. Blue Bloods: S13E9 "Nothing Sacred" (CBS) 9,627,000 1/6/2023
96. NCIS: S20E22 "Black Sky" (CBS) 9,615,000 5/22/2023
97. NCIS: S20E19 "In the Spotlight" (CBS) 9,614,000 5/1/2023
98. Blue Bloods: S13E13 "Past History" (CBS) 9,610,000 2/10/2023
99. Chicago Fire: S11E10 "Something for the Pain" (NBC) 9,606,000 1/4/2023
100. Chicago Fire: S11E14 "Run Like Hell" (NBC) 9,567,000 2/22/2023

Source: Nielsen, 1/1/23 – 12/3/23. L7 Data. All Telecasts, Broadcast and Cable (excluding telecasts with durations under 25 min, including SB and NFC). Broadcast Prime, telecast with start times within daypart (M-Sat 8P-11P; Sun 6:30P-11P).


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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