Super Bowl LVIII became most-watched TV broadcast since moon landing. What are other top watched events?
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs holds the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Super Bowl LVIII is in the books, and the ratings are in for the NFL’s biggest game of the year.
The entertaining spectacle had everything from a thrilling matchup to a memorable halftime show, and numbers released Tuesday by Nielsen reflect that it was a hit among fans.
Citing Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, the Associated Press noted that the game averaged 123.7 million viewers across television and streaming platforms.
Nielsen said a record 202.4 million watched at least part of the Super Bowl across all networks, a 10% jump over last year's figure of 183.6 million, the Associated Press reported.
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With this year’s Super Bowl generating massive viewership, here’s a look back at some of the other top watched events in the U.S. through the years.
Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969
An estimated 125 million viewers tuned in to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong exited the spacecraft and was the first human to walk on the moon. Armstrong famously said, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin poses next to the U.S. flag July 20, 1969 on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. (Photo by NASA/Liaison)
John F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1963
The assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy was the first major event to be televised, including the commander-in-chief’s funeral.
Led by members of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, and the US Marine Corps band the funeral procession of slain President John F. Kennedy approaches the entance to Arlington Natio
NPR reported JFK’s funeral procession was watched in 93% of all homes that were equipped with TV sets — the largest viewing audience ever recorded to that point. More than 250,000 people filed past the flag-draped coffin.
"Television brought those events immediately and continually into America's homes," The White House Historical Association writes.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968
In 1968, a funeral was held for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which was viewed by millions at home. The ceremony, held in Atlanta, had about 100,000 people gathered along the four-mile-long procession. Politicians nationwide, fellow civil rights leaders, famous entertainers, authors and poets attended the service.
The procession bearing the coffin at the funeral of assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr in Atlanta, Georgia, 9th April 1968. (Photo by Santi Visalli/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Richard Nixon’s resignation speech in 1974
Richard Nixon announced his resignation as President of the United States after his administration’s Watergate scandal. In the address from the Oval Office on Aug. 8, 1974, Nixon said "I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first," according to TV Insider.com.
President Richard M. Nixon sits at a desk, holding papers, as he announces his resignation on television, Washington, D.C. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Police pursuit of O.J. Simpson in 1994
On June 17, 1994, just two days after the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, O.J. Simpson would lead police on a 90-minute-long pursuit in a white Ford Bronco which ended in his arrest at his home in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood, California. TV Insider noted that approximately 95 million people watched the event.
Drivers wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco (white, R) driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowl
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Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997
Roughly 2.5 billion people globally watched Princess Diana’s funeral after her tragic death in a car crash in Paris. About a million people lined the streets to watch the procession.
Princess Diana’s funeral lasted almost six and a half hours, and the service at Westminster Abbey included a reading from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and a performance of Sir Elton John’s "Candle in the Wind." Her funeral to this day is still reported to be the most-watched.
Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, at Westminster Abbey. (Photo by Ken Goff/Getty Images)
Mother Teresa’s funeral in 1997
A week after Princess Diana’s funeral, the world celebrated the life of Mother Teresa.
Approximately 10,000 mourners showed up to pay their respects in Calcutta, India. The funeral reportedly drew millions of viewers from around the world, though portraying a multilingual ceremony proved difficult and there were video and audio problems during the broadcast.
Mother Teresa's Funeral Service. (Photo by Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
"Some believe guilt over excessive Diana coverage was one of the factors in networks carrying Mother Teresa’s funeral live," The Associated Press reported at the time.
Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004
Ronald Reagan was the first former U.S. president to die in the 21st century, ushering in the non-stop age of news coverage.
Millions of viewers watched the actor-turned-politician’s seven-day state funeral, with many of the events available on replay.
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan kisses the casket of her late husband, former President Ronald Reagan, in the Capitol rotunda June 11, 2004 in Washington, D.C. Shortly afterwards, the casket was moved to the National Cathedral for the funeral. (Photo
More than 200,000 mourners traveled to say their final goodbye to the former president, with roughly 4,000 attending the funeral in person.
Michael Jackson’s funeral in 2009
The sudden death of the King of Pop at age 50 consumed fans around the globe that summer.
After a private service, a public memorial on July 7 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles was broadcast live around the world. More than 17,000 people were reportedly in attendance — and more than one billion watched from around the world. The 13-time Grammy Award winner’s funeral is reported to be the second-most-watched funeral ever.
In this handout photo provided by Harrison Funk/The Jackson Family, Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at Michael Jackson's funeral service held at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park on September 3, 2009 in Glendale, California. Jackson, 50, the king of pop, di
Muhammad Ali’s funeral in 2016
An estimated one billion people worldwide were also estimated to tune into the interfaith service for the legendary boxing champion. The pallbearers included former boxers Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis and actor Will Smith, who played Ali in the movies.
An estimated 100,000 people held signs and chanted along his procession. The more than three-hour memorial capped nearly a full day of mourning in Louisville.
The hearse carrying boxing legend Muhammad Ali stops outside his childhood home where mourners wait to pay their respects on June 10, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Thousands of people from near and far were expected to line the streets of Muhammad Al
Aretha Franklin’s funeral in 2018
Though the funeral for the Queen of Soul wasn’t a global spectacle, her homegoing was still quite the to-do in her hometown of Detroit.
Mourners attend Aretha Franklin's funeral at Greater Grace Temple on August 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The service at Greater Grace Temple lasted more than eight hours and included performances from Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, the Clark Sisters, Chaka Khan, Ron Isley, and Fantasia. One thousand people in the general public were invited to attend.
Thousands showed up to pay their respects as her body lied in repose — in red high-heeled shoes — at the Charles H. Wright Historical Museum.
Kobe Bryant’s funeral in 2020
Roughly 20,000 people gathered for a public memorial at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring him, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the seven other victims of the shocking helicopter crash.
Fans in attendance, many dressed in Kobe jerseys, for the "Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant" service at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 24, 2020. - Kobe Bryant, 41, and 13-year-old Gianna were among nine people kil
The mourners included Lakers legends Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Dwyane Wade and dozens of current NBA players. Celebrities such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez also attended.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022
About 11.4 million people in the U.S. watched the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the first time TV cameras were allowed at the funeral of a British monarch, Reuters reported. And in the U.K., 27 million viewers tuned in to watch the queen’s ceremony, according to Variety.
Britain's King Charles III, Camilla, the Queen Consort, Princess Anne, and her husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince William, and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales with t
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The queen died on Sept. 8 at 96 at Balmoral Castle, her beloved summer home in Scotland, after having steadied and modernized the royal institution through seven decades of huge social change.
Her passing ends an era, the modern Elizabethan age. Her 73-year-old son, now known as King Charles III, automatically became king upon her death however, his coronation might not take place for months.
FOX Television Stations national reporters Catherine Stoddard and Megan Ziegler and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.