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Politics aside, sports still dominated the list of the 100 most-viewed programs of 2020

The NFL draft provided a spot for virtual programming in the top 100, with first-round coverage across various networks coming in at No. 78. ESPN’s Maria Taylor was among those covering the selections.espn images

In what is believed to be a first in the history of television, no scripted series cracked the top 100 shows in a single year.

The most popular entertainment programs have been migrating to streaming services for the past several years. But while TV ratings for entertainment programming have dropped drastically, there’s always been at least one or two shows to crack the top 100 list.

In 2019, for example, the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” placed two episodes in the top 100, including the series finale from May of that year which drew 18.535 million viewers.

The lack of scripted programming in 2020’s list underscores just how important live event programming is to television networks and why, in the era of declining TV subscribers, media rights for top-tier sports continue to see big increases.

As in past years, the 2020 list is filled with sports events. But the percentage of spots taken up by sports programming was down considerably from 2019. Last year, sports made up 75 of the top 100 shows. In 2019, sports accounted for 92 of the top 100.

Networks can point to several reasons for the drop, starting with the presidential election that accounted for 16 of the top 100. Just like in 2016, three debates ranked just behind the Super Bowl on the list.

Sports programming also was hurt by the pandemic, which caused some organizations to postpone big events (including the Olympics and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament) and forced others to move their biggest events elsewhere in the schedule.

The World Series, Kentucky Derby and NBA Finals all fell off the list in 2020. Without an NCAA Tournament, college basketball was not represented either.

As usual, the NFL accounted for the most slots. NFL games made up 72 of the top 100 shows, down from 78 in 2019. Plus, the two “60 Minutes” episodes that made the list benefited from NFL lead-ins.

College football placed three games on the list, all from last year’s postseason before the pandemic hit.

Two surprises: The “One World: Together At Home” concert in April placed 37th with 20.7 million viewers across various networks.

Three “Jeopardy: Greatest of All Time” telecasts from January also made the list, placing 74th, 84th and 92nd, with 15.548 million, 14.872 million and 14.422 million viewers on ABC.

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