The Top 5 Sporting Events by TV Viewing Figures

For over a century, professional sports have been entertaining people across the globe. There’s no doubt that watching sports is one of the most popular global pastimes, along with watching TV shows or movies.

Our list is arranged by events rather than individual incarnations of those events, so for example we kick things off with the most viewed Winter Olympics of all time:

5: PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics – 1.92+ billion viewers

Generating a similar viewership to the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup, the 2018 Winter Olympics is currently the fifth most watched sporting event based on television viewing figures. This event set a record number of views for the Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing couldn’t surpass South Korea’s 2018 viewership numbers. While there may be some disputes on how TV viewership is calculated, an overall viewership of 1.92 billion watchers is an impressive feat, almost a quarter of the global population.

4: ICC Men’s 2023 Cricket World Cup – 2.6+ billion viewers

Next on the list is the Indian-based Cricket World Cup, occurring in 2023 and smashing all previous Cricket viewership records. Specifically, the live viewing hours saw a 38% increase from the 2011 tournament and a 17% increase from the 2019 tournament. Australia would go on to win their sixth championship and, in front of an amassed 2.6 billion viewers altogether, accumulating over one trillion global viewing minutes.

3: 2023 Tour de France – 3.5+ billion viewers

According to viewership numbers, the Tour de France in 2023 is one of the top five sporting events by TV viewing figures, with a whopping 3.5 billion views recorded to have watched the race. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the most watched Tour de France’s, as streaming services and devices have become readily available over the years which bulks up the numbers. The Tour may have lost its luster Stateside since the days when Lance Armstrong was powering up the Alps, but this race still attracts a huge audience across the world.

2: London 2012 Summer Olympics – 3.6+ billion viewers

Surprisingly, out of the Rio 2016 Summer Games and 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London seemingly holds the record for the most watched summer Olympics (although Paris 2024 is up there too). With over 3.6 billion viewers tuning in at some point, the London Games are universally regarded as having been one of the best modern versions of the Summer Olympics.

1: FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup – 5+ billion viewers

Up last as the most viewed sporting event to date is the FIFA 2022 Men’s World Cup. The call soccer the global game, and these figures certainly back up that claim. Out of the supposed 5 billion views, onlookers might’ve tuned in to solely watch Lionel Messi solidify his status as the best soccer player of all time in comparison with other greatest-of-all-time athletes such as Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. Argentina would inevitably take home the 2022 World Cup trophy, which was Messi’s first ever, and at 36 years old. With more than 5 billion tuned in to watch the World Cup and its spectacular concluding final, this number is unlikely to be topped anytime soon.

Read More:

• For something closer to home, check out the biggest viewing figures in MLB history.
• Or see which Super Bowl has had the biggest TV audience.