[5] [6] In fact, the Super Bowl is the American sports broadcast with the most consistent ratings, [7] and draws substantially higher ratings than other sports events, including the NBA Finals and World Series. [8] Ratings for the Super Bowl first peaked from 1977 to 1987, when no less than 44.4% of American households with television sets The Super Bowl ratings record remains a 49.1 for 49ers-Bengals in 1982, but the viewership record was set just this year (2024) — 123.7 million for Chiefs-49ers. While Chiefs-49ers owns the largest official Super Bowl audience on record, that is only because Nielsen did not begin including out-of-home viewing in its viewership estimates until The Chiefs aim to three-peat as champions and make history. The Super Bowl is the most-watched event on TV. The top 10 most-watched telecasts are all Super Bowls. Out of the top 20 most-watched telecasts in history, the Super Bowl makes up 19 of the 20—only one episode of MASH as the only non-Super Bowl making the list. 5 Highest Super Bowl Ratings Through History. Thanks to SportsMediaWatch, we have access to all the TV ratings since the famous Super Bowl 1.And even though there have been some unbelievable games played throughout the more than 50 years of the event, the following five were the most-watched. Since 2010, the Super Bowl has brought in at least 100 million viewers in all but three years. Super Bowl LVIII, which took place last year, became the most-viewed broadcast in history. At this Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched program in television history, with an average of 123.7 million viewers tuning in to the Chiefs' 25-22 overtime win versus the 49ers. Highest-Rated Super Bowls. Super Bowl. Teams. Nielsen Household Ratings. Super Bowl 16. 1982 San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals. 49.1. Super Bowl 17. 1983 Washington vs. Miami Dolphins. 48 Earlier Super Bowls did better when it comes to TV ratings, with the highest-rated Super Bowl being a 49.1 in 1982 between the 49ers and Bengals. Of the five highest-rated Super Bowls ever, four That game remains the most-watched Super Bowl in history, but Super Bowl LVIII came close with 123.7 million viewers. Ratings History of the Super Bowl Jan. 15, 1967. The highest-rated Super Bowl was Super Bowl XVI, which had a household rating of 49.1 when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21, in 1982 for the franchise’s first Super Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, was the site of Super Bowl LVIII, the most-watched broadcast in American television history. The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, is reported to have been watched by 125–150 million people. [ 4 ] Earlier Super Bowls did better when it comes to TV ratings, with the highest-rated Super Bowl being a 49.1 in 1982 between the 49ers and Bengals. Of the five highest-rated Super Bowls ever, four That out-rates last year’s big game—which held the record for the most-watched Super Bowl and second-most watched broadcast ever, at 115.1 million watchers—but fell short of the 150 million 9. Super Bowl XLIX. Coming in at number nine is Super Bowl XLIX, the fourth highest-rated Super Bowl, and the most recent one on this list. Featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots (a common team to see in the Super Bowl by that point) in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game was an incredibly The highest-rated Super Bowl was Super Bowl XVI, which had a household rating of 49.1 when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21, in 1982 for the franchise’s first Super Nielsen: Nielsen, which has been tracking Super Bowl ratings since the first game in January 1967, reports Super Bowl LVIII on CBS, Univision, Nickelodeon, Paramount+ and other digital services The 53 Super Bowls played thus far have averaged a 43.5 household rating, and there hasn’t been huge amount of variance over the years. The all-time low in households is a 36.0 for Super Bowl As the big game approaches on Feb. 3, Stacker takes a look at the most and least watched Super Bowls in history. Television statistics were pulled from Nielsen, with additional information on the star-studded halftime shows, dramatic fourth-quarter drives, and other memorable moments that made these games duds or studs. The Super Bowl also drew a 41.6 rating, which beat out last year's Super Bowl by a small margin. A rating is the percentage of viewers with a TV who were watching the game. The Super Bowl has set an all-time TV viewership record in five of the last six seasons. This year’s game also ranks as the highest rated Super Bowl since Bears/Patriots in 1986 (48.3) and the highest rated program overall since coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics drew a 48.5 on CBS.
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