# Most viewed broadcast of all time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005 "2016-07-03T15:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/1 "2016-07-03T15:47:12Z")
I was looking up the funeral of Pope John Paul II on Wikipedia, and it claimed his funeral might be the most watched event of all time. Yet [on an article about the most watched broadcasts of all time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts), a cricket event is dubbed the most likely. (Certainly a World Cup/Olympics broadcast must have topped that?) Obviously measuring worldwide viewership is a very inexact science, but what are the most likely contenders for the most viewed broadcast in television history? ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/2 "2016-07-03T16:08:55Z")
I thought it was the moon landing? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/3 "2016-07-03T16:25:12Z")
It would have to be something relatively recent, as worldwide TV viewership has increased. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/4 "2016-07-03T16:33:34Z")
The last World Cup finals? ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/5 "2016-07-03T16:44:40Z")
Depends if you mean raw numbers or as a percentage of the human population. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/6 "2016-07-03T16:46:43Z")
According to [this](http://www.worldlistmania.com/most-watched-television-events-world/10/) website, it was the opening ceremony of the Beijing olympics in 2008. 2 billion viewers - boosted no doubt by the huge Chinese population around the world. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/7 "2016-07-03T19:16:36Z")
I think this is best suited to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/8 "2016-07-03T21:06:21Z")
I find it difficult to believe that the literally worldwide coverage of 9/11 didn’t appear on either list, or any of the others I can find. News events like the funerals of JFK and Princess Diana, the Apollo 11 moon landing, etc., appear on multiple lists. ---
**Author:** ![LotusBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@LotusBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LotusBee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-viewed-broadcast-of-all-time/759005/9 "2019-03-20T06:28:33Z")
This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.