Television Viewing Trends in 2024

The landscape of television viewing in 2024 has been firmly shaped by the undeniable draw of live sports, a trend that has even compelled streaming giants like Netflix to pursue partnerships with sports leagues. This shift is reinforced by Variety's annual tally of the 100 most-watched primetime telecasts, where an astonishing 75 of these slots were claimed by sports events—an increase from 56 in the previous year. This surge was driven by 45 NFL games, showcasing America’s obsession with football, alongside 19 broadcasts from the Paris Summer Olympics, the exciting NBA Finals, and an electrifying World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.

World Series and NCAA Championships

Notably, the World Series made a triumphant return to the rankings with a clean sweep: all five games captivated viewers, a stark contrast to last year when the series was absent from the list. Moreover, this year marked a historic first; while the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship traditionally draws considerable attention, it was overshadowed in viewership by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, which recorded 18.87 million viewers compared to 14.82 million for the men’s final.

Political Telecasts

The political arena also claimed a significant presence in the ratings, with the Presidential Debate aired by ABC on September 10 achieving 20.3 million viewers solely on that network. However, when factoring in simulcasting across various platforms, the debate's audience skyrocketed to an exceptional 67.1 million, placing it as the second most-watched telecast of the year, just behind the coveted Super Bowl.

Traditional Programming and CBS's Success

With the sports domain monopolizing viewership, traditional primetime programming saw limited representation. CBS emerged as the unexpected powerhouse, especially with its breakout series “Tracker,” which occupied an impressive 15 slots on the list, just shy of the festive NFL and Olympic events. The network also secured additional real estate with four episodes of “60 Minutes” and the highly anticipated double finale of “Young Sheldon.”

Awards Shows

In terms of awards shows, 2024 witnessed The Oscars leading the entertainment telecast category, seeing significant growth in viewership. On March 10, an impressive 20.2 million tuned in to see “Oppenheimer” crowned as Best Picture—this figure marks an upward trend from previous years (19.4 million in 2023 and 17.6 million in 2022). CBS also celebrated a substantial rise in viewership for the Grammys, which attracted 18.1 million viewers this year, a notable increase from last year's 13.4 million.

NBC's Dominance and Ratings Summary

The ratings landscape was completed with NBC leading the charge, capturing 38 slots primarily thanks to its successful Sunday Night Football and extensive Olympics coverage. CBS followed with 25 slots, while other networks like ABC, Prime Video, and Fox trailed in viewer numbers.

Conclusion

As we look back on this year, the most-watched telecasts from 2024 have highlighted a captivating intersection of sports, politics, and entertainment, setting a precedent for what to expect in the evolving world of television viewership. Stay tuned as we track these trends in the coming years and explore what new surprises await in 2025!