Top Ten TV Shows 2018 by U.S. Viewership
According to Nielsen and industry reports, the top ten TV shows of 2018 were led by NFL football, with the NFL regular season and playoffs dominating weekly ratings. The NFL averaged 16.5 million viewers per game on broadcast television, making it the most-watched programming category in 2018. The 2018 NFL season generated over $15 billion in annual revenue for the league, as detailed by the NFL and Forbes, with television contracts forming the core of that figure. This dominance reshaped the top ten TV shows 2018 list, pushing scripted series below live sports in total audience reach.
Beyond football, the top ten TV shows 2018 included major broadcast finales and reality hits. ABC's "Roseanne" revival premiered to 18.2 million viewers in its first week, becoming the year's largest sitcom debut. CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" remained the highest-rated scripted comedy, averaging 18.6 million viewers per episode across its eleventh season. NBC's "This Is Us" delivered strong 8.5 million live viewers per episode, while "The Voice" on NBC averaged 10.5 million viewers, securing a consistent spot in the top ten TV shows 2018 rankings. These figures reflect linear television ratings and do not include delayed viewing or streaming platforms.
Top Ten TV Shows 2018 in Streaming and On-Demand
Netflix reported that "Stranger Things" Season 3 was the most-watched original series on the platform during its July 2018 release window, generating 40.7 billion minutes viewed within the first 35 days, according to Netflix's own public data and third-party analytics cited by Variety. Amazon Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" premiered in March 2018 and became the service's flagship comedy, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in September 2018. Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" Season 2, released in April 2018, drove record subscriber growth for Hulu, which reached 17 million subscribers by the end of 2018, as reported by Hulu and Forbes.
HBO's "Game of Thrones" Season 7, which aired in July and August 2018, became the most-watched HBO series in history, with the finale drawing 19.3 million viewers across HBO platforms, a figure confirmed by HBO and reported by major outlets. The series generated an estimated $100 million per episode in total economic impact, including tourism and merchandise, as analyzed by Forbes and CNBC. Disney's streaming strategy was also evident in 2018, with the company announcing its direct-to-consumer service plans, though its top content library remained under the ESPN and ABC umbrellas. These streaming entries form a distinct top ten TV shows 2018 list when measured by on-demand viewership and subscriber acquisition data.
Revenue, Advertising, and Business Impact of the Top Ten TV Shows 2018
The advertising revenue tied to the top ten TV shows 2018 reflected the shift toward premium live events. NFL broadcast rights for the 2018 season were valued at over $30 billion across the five-year deal with CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN, as disclosed by the NFL and the SEC filings of the networks. Major brands such as Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, and Toyota increased their spending on NFL ad slots, with a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl averaging $5.2 million, per advertising industry reports. The top ten TV shows 2018 list also included the Winter Olympics on NBC, which generated $1.2 billion in