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It's no secret that with an array of cable channels, video games and the Internet competing for viewers' attention, the audiences for network television are eroding. These days even the biggest hits are suffering: average viewership for the Wednesday night broadcast of Fox's American Idol, for instance, was down 14% compared to last season. The audience for CSI, on CBS, dropped nearly 19% in 2009-2010; the Tuesday night broadcasts of ABC's Dancing With the Stars fell 9.2%, according to Nielsen data.
But amid this sagging performance, television appears to be experiencing a resurgence in a surprising place: sports programming. Of the 13 television programs that drew over 30 million viewers over past year, 11, or 85%, were sports-related, according to a new research report from Horizon Media, a media buying and planning agency. The only non-sports related shows were the Oscars and the first episode of the CBS reality show Undercover Boss -- which debuted immediately following the network's broadcast of the Super Bowl. Back in the 2004-2005 television year, 19 programs hit the 30 million mark, and only nine, or 47%, were sports shows.
Any conversation about a sports resurgence must begin with football. This year's Super Bowl, between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, became the most-watched television show in U.S. history, as it averaged 106.5 million viewers throughout the broadcast, up 8% over last year. The NFC championship game was up 51% year-over-year; the AFC game saw a 15% rise, and regular-season ratings jumped as well.
But the NFL, by far the most successful pro sports league, isn't the only one enjoying astounding success. The 2010 Kentucky Derby was the most-watched race since 1989. The Stanley Cup turned in its strongest ratings performance in 13 years, and Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers, a 4-3 Blackhawks overtime win that gave Chicago its first Stanley Cup victory since 1961, was the most-watched NHL game in 36 years. Compared with 2006, average World Cup soccer viewership was up 41% on ABC and ESPN.
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