2023 was another great year for sports. The Kansas City Chiefs took home another Super Bowl victory in their win over the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Denver Nuggets earned an NBA Finals victory against the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, two underdogs went head-to-head in the World Series, as the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Which sporting events drew the most viewers, though? Did any of the big games or series fall short of expectations? Let's take a look at what the world watched in 2023.
Soccer, NFL Lead the Way
Soccer, the world's most popular sport, led the charge in viewership numbers. There were many big soccer matches this season, led by the Champions League Final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, which drew 450 million viewers per roadtrips.com.
Women's soccer contributed to the global game's dominance this year, with the Women's World Cup drawing two billion viewers across the month-long tournament according to the same source. That's nearly double the 1.12 billion who watched the previous iteration of the tournament.
The NFL also posted impressive numbers. Kansas City's win over Philadelphia featured two teams with passionate fan bases. With no shortage of stars in the game, the 2023 Super Bowl drew over 113 million viewers according to nielsen.com.
The Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl was the second most-watched Super Bowl ever, trailing only the 2015 game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The NFL is the most popular sport in the USA. It's growing in popularity around the world as well, something the international games have surely helped with.
College Sports Get Mixed Results
The men's championships for college basketball and college football declined in viewership.
Georgia cruised to a dominant victory over TCU in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship. The contest averaged around 17.2 million viewers, per sportspromedia.com, which represents a decline from the 22.6 million viewers for the previous season's championship.
A team such as Alabama or Ohio State would have drawn more viewership than TCU, who upset the odds throughout the year en route to a berth in the game. It was a great story, but TCU stood no chance against an extremely powerful Georgia team.
The men's college basketball championship saw a decline in viewership as well. The game, which saw Connecticut defeat San Diego State, drew an average of 14.69 million viewers, a significant drop from the season before, according to Forbes.
On the other hand, Forbes also reports that the women's game saw a drastic increase in viewership. Angel Reese and LSU battled Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a memorable championship game that saw LSU emerge victorious.
Reese and Clark also saw a major increase in their popularity as stars. The game ended up receiving an average of 9.92 million viewers and peaked at 12.6 million.
MLB, NBA, NFL Struggle with Viewership
The Stanley Cup final game produced just 2.72 million viewers in 2023, according to the New York Post. The series averaged around 2.6 million.
The series projected to be an exciting one, with the Las Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Florida Panthers. However, it simply failed to draw as much interest as expected.
The 2023 NBA FInals didn't necessarily produce terrible viewership numbers. With that said, it was a decline from the previous season. The Finals ultimately drew an average of 11.64 million viewers, per statista.com.
The Denver Nuggets may not be the most popular team in the NBA, but they are one of the best. Nikola Jokic was unstoppable in the series and Jamal Murray also played a pivotal role.
Jimmy Butler battled through an injury for the Heat, but Miami still fell short. Some people referred to the series as boring, but most basketball fans enjoyed watching the greatness of Jokic and Butler's never-give-up mentality.
The World Series, on the other hand, produced record-low viewership numbers.
When teams with large fan bases, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, were eliminated in the playoffs, it became apparent that the World Series may see a decline in viewership. It would have been difficult to predict just how eye-opening that decline would be, however.
Nielsen revealed that the World Series saw its worst viewership statistics since 1963, when ratings began getting recorded and shared. The series averaged 9.11 million viewers, per sportcal.com.
It's unfortunate because the World Series featured a pair of ballclubs that upset the odds to even reach the series. Stars such as Corey Seager and Marcus Semien led the charge for Texas, while Corbin Carroll and Zac Gallen anchored Arizona's roster. Texas won the World Series in five games, and their future remains bright.
On the brightside for baseball, the 2023 World Baseball Classic did produce strong viewership.
World Baseball Classic Brings Hope for the Sport
The USA-Japan championship game was the most-watched WBC contest ever. Its average viewership of 5.2 million was an increase of 69 percent from the last WBC championship game, which took place in 2017, per Forbes.
Forbes adds that over 42 percent of Japanese households were tuned into the World Baseball Classic championship.
The primary storyline of the game was the potential for then-Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout to go head-to-head. Sure enough, Ohtani emerged from the bullpen in the final inning and ended up striking out Trout for the final out.
It was an incredible moment for the sport, and it further boosted Ohtani's already impressive popularity. Although the World Series numbers were discouraging for baseball, it is clear that there is still interest in the game, as evidenced by the WBC.
Last but Not Least: The Masters Impresses
The 2023 Masters, which saw Jon Rahm take home the Green Jacket, was watched by an average of 12.06 million viewers, per sportspromedia.com. It was the highest mark in five years. The final round peaked at over 15 million viewers.
Rahm's performance was impressive, but his victory wasn't decided until later on the final day. Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson made things interesting, but Rahm ultimately earned the victory.
