Sports programming, particularly NFL games, dominated the most-watched primetime telecasts of 2025, accounting for 96 of the top 100 slots according to Variety's annual ranker. The list was led by Fox's coverage of Super Bowl LIX, which averaged 126.7 million viewers as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on February 9.
NFL games alone occupied 48 spots, up from 45 in 2024, and when including six related studio shows and a weather delay, the total rose to 55. Other sports included all seven games of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays World Series, the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, and one NBA Finals game (Oklahoma City vs. Indiana).
Among non-sports programming, the 97th Oscars was the highest-ranked entertainment telecast at number 20, drawing 20.3 million viewers. The 'Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special' attracted 16.5 million viewers, while the Grammy Awards dipped to 16.2 million. The 82nd Golden Globes returned to the list for the first time since 2020 with 9.9 million viewers.
CBS's drama 'Tracker' was the most-watched scripted series, landing 19 episodes in the top 100, up from 15 in 2024. The network's '60 Minutes' secured seven slots, and the season finale of 'Dancing With the Stars' achieved its best ender in nearly a decade. CBS led all outlets with 35 total slots, followed by NBC (20), ABC (15), Fox (14), Prime Video (12), and ESPN (4).
