Television’s Most Popular Person
Muhammad Ali was featured in six broadcasts that reached over 1 billion live viewers.
“I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.” — Muhammad Ali
The great boxer Muhammad Ali was featured in 6 television broadcasts that reached over one billion viewers. He is the undisputed champion of live television.
Ali is known as “The Greatest” for his boxing prowess, but that nickname can also describe his ability to draw a TV audience. He boasts five fights where the live TV viewership reached 1,000,000,000 (1 billion). His popularity was world-wide and far-reaching. When he died, his memorial service also topped 1 billion viewers.
Muhammad Ali was an American boxer and heavyweight champion of the world. He was also a social activist and stood up for what he believed in. His charisma was unmatched, and he was and is an inspiration to many.
“It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” — Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, The King of Live TV
According to Wikipedia’s list of the most-watched television broadcasts of all time, Muhammad Ali headlined the following broadcasts with impressive viewership numbers.
September 15, 1978: Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks II
Estimated audience — 2 billionOctober 2, 1980: Muhammad Ali vs. Larry Holmes: The Last Hurrah
Estimated audience — 2 billionJune 26, 1976: Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki
Estimated audience — 1.4 billionOctober 30, 1974: Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman: The Rumble in the Jungle
Estimated audience — 1 billionOctober 1, 1975: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III: Thrilla in Manila
Estimated audience — 1 billionJune 9, 2016 — Muhammad Ali Memorial Service
Estimated audience — 1 billion
Let’s put these numbers in perspective. According to PBS News Hour, the world hit a population of 4 billion people in 1974. It did not hit 5 billion until 1987. In his biggest TV events, Muhammad Ali was able to attract between one-quarter and one-half of the world’s population.
“I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.” — Muhammad Ali
The Competition
According to the list of most-watched broadcasts, Muhammad Ali’s numbers are only behind six Summer Olympics, five Winter Olympics, five FIFA World Cups, and the 2019 ICC Cricket World Championship. None of those events were before the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics, and you will never guess who was given the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremonies.
Watching Ali lighting the cauldron gives me the chills. It’s a magical, emotional, and inspiring moment.
None of the events that beat Ali in terms of spectators were single-day events. The Olympics games, for example, typically takes place over about two weeks. According to PBS News Hour, the world population hit 6 billion people in 1999, and 7 billion people in 2011. Ali’s top boxing events drew similar viewership in terms of percentage of the world population even to the most-watched event of all-time, the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” — Muhammad Ali
Takeaways
Muhammad Ali, the man nicknamed “The Greatest,” was a force of nature. In the mid-late 70s and early 80s, he drew unbelievable audiences to watch him. His greatness was so widely admired that he, over all other Americans, was chosen in 1996 to light the Olympic cauldron. And when he died twenty years later, the people of the world tuned in for him one last time in huge numbers.
Muhammad Ali was great in so many ways, and his legend lives on. In terms of popularity and drawing a TV audience, he is the greatest ever to live.