NASCAR makes tv viewership list multiple times when excluding NFL
2020 was an odd year for most people. In terms of sports broadcasts, it was a total shift.
View the top 50 most viewed sports broadcasts below.
For 2 months or more, no sporting events were shown on LIVE tv. During quarantine, NASCAR gathered together to create online races which were shown on LIVE tv. Over a million tuned in for several weeks of digital racing, the peak was a race at the digital Texas Motor Speedway which brought 1.339 million viewers on March 29, 2020.
Behind the scenes, officials from all the major sanctions scrambled to reshape their schedules. NASCAR unlisted mid-week races and double-headers in a jam packed schedule after two months off.
Auto racing was the first major sports back to action on May 17th at Darlington Raceway bringing 6.323M viewers. NASCAR capitalized with their early return. However, the advantage didn’t last long.
When the United States finally reopened, everyone was back in action at the same time. Major sporting events overlapped. There was suddenly a massive influx of options and competition.
With so many options, there was a lot of competition. Sports fans were forced to choose. Once the NFL kicked off, they completely dominated the ratings.
82 of the top 85 sports broadcasts in 2020 were won by the NFL. The 2020 Superbowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers topped the charts with 100.45 million viewers.
With the NFL included, NASCAR completely missed the top-50 list. If you exclude the NFL, NASCAR made the list a few times…
50 most-watched sports telecasts of 2020, excluding the NFL
Game | Sport | Date | Rating | Viewers | Network
1. LSU-Clemson | CFB
March 13, 2020
14.3
25.59 M
ESPN
2. Oregon-Wisconsin | CFB
March 1, 2020
8.7
16.30 M
ESPN
3. Alabama-Michigan | CFB
March 1, 2020
8.0
14.00 M
ABC
4. Rays-Dodges | MLB
October 27, 2020
6.8
12.70 M
FOX
5. Georgia-Notre Dame | CFB
January 1, 2020
5.7
10.22 M
ESPN
6. Clemson-Notre Dame | CFB
November 7, 2020
5.4
10.07 M
NBC
7. Dodgers-Rays | MLB
October 25, 2020
5.3
10.06 M
FOX
8. Clemson-Notre Dame | CFB
December 19, 2020
5.5
9.92 M
ABC
9. Braves-Dodgers | MLB
October 18, 2020
5.2
9.66 M
FOX/FS1
10. Georgia-Alabama | CFB
October 17, 2020
5.3 M
9.61 M
CBS
11. Dodgers-Rays | MLB
October 24, 2020
4.8
9.33 M
FOX
12. Rays-Dodgers | MLB
October 20, 2020
5.1
9.27 M
FOX
13. Kentucky Derby | Horse
September 6, 2020
4.8
9.26 M
NBC
14. Rays-Dodgers | MLB
October 21, 2020
5.1
9.11 M
FOX
15. Heat-Lakers | NBA
October 9, 2020
4.8
8.96 M
ABC
16. Alabama-Florida | CFB
December 19, 2020
4.9
8.92 M
CBS
17. Lakers-Heat | NBA
October 11, 2020
4.2
8.37 M
ABC
18. Dodgers-Rays | MLB
October 23, 2020
4.3
8.16 M
FOX
19. Ohio State-Northwestern | CFB
December 19, 2020
4.65
8.03 M
FOX
20. Lakers-Heat | NBA
October 6, 2020
4.4
7.62 M
ABC
21. Heat-Lakers | NBA
September 30, 2020
4.1
7.58 M
ABC
22. Daytona 500 | NASCAR
February 16-17, 2020
4.4
7.33 M
FOX
23. All-Star | NBA
February 16, 2020
4.1
7.28 M
TNT/TBS
24. Mavericks-Lakers | NBA
December 25, 2020
3.0
7.01 M
ABC/ESPN
25. Heat-Lakers | NBA
October 2, 2020
3.6
6.67 M
ABC
26. Auburn-Alabama | CFB
November 28, 2020
3.6
6.66 M
CBS
27. Ohio State-Penn State | CFB
October 31, 2020
3.5
6.53 M
ABC
28. Indiana-Ohio State | CFB
November 21, 2020
3.7
6.36 M
FOX
29. Florida-Georgia | CFB
November 7, 2020
3.5
6.34 M
CBS
30. The Last Dance | Dance
April 19, 2020
3.5
6.34 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
31. Darlington Raceway | NASCAR
May 17, 2020
3.7
6.32 M
FOX
32. Nebraska-Ohio State | CFB
October 24, 2020
3.4
6.18 M
FOX
33. The Last Dance | Dance
April 26, 2020
3.5
6.14 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
34. Notre Dame-UNC | CFB
November 27, 2020
3.5
6.08 M
ABC
35. Lakers-Heat | NBA
October 4, 2020
3.1
5.99 M
ABC
36. The Last Dance | Dance
May 17, 2020
3.5
5.89 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
37. The Last Dance | Dance
May 3, 2020
3.3
5.83 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
38. The Last Dance | Dance
April 19, 2020
3.2
5.79 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
39. Tennessee-Georgia | CFB
October 10, 2020
3.1
5.77 M
CBS
40. The Match II | Golf
May 24, 2020
3.5
5.67 M
Turner
41. The Last Dance | Dance
April 26, 2020
3.2
5.66 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
42. The Masters | Golf
November 15, 2020
3.4
5.59 M
CBS
43. Las Vegas Motor Speedway | NASCAR
February 23, 2020
3.2
5.50 M
FOX
44. Rockets-Lakers | NBA
September 6, 2020
2.9
5.43 M
ABC
45. Nuggets-Clippers | NBA
September 15, 2020
3.1
5.43 M
ESPN
46. The Last Dance | Dance
May 17, 2020
3.2
5.41 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
47. The Last Dance | Dance
May 10, 2020
3.1
5.34 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
48. The Last Dance | Dance
May 3, 2020
2.9
5.26 M
ESPN / ESPN 2
49. PGA Championship | Golf
August 9, 2020
3.3
5.15 M
CBS
50. Notre Dame-Boston College | CFB
November 14, 2020
3.0
5.15 M
ABC
See the most watched sporting events of 2020 on Sports Media Watch.
Related: View NASCAR tv ratings for every race in 2020
Related: iRacing eNASCAR Pro Invitational TV Ratings
Links
NASCAR | Daytona International Speedway | Darlington Raceway | Las Vegas Motor Spedway | NFL | CFB | PGA
