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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.
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:2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 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 Football: Buffalo 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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