Super Bowl most-watched broadcast in TV history
Michelle Clancy ©RapidTVNews | 08-02-2011
The showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers averaged 111 million viewers in the US, beating 2010's record which itself garnered 106.5 million viewers across the country.
Was it the ads? The chance that the Vince Lombardi trophy could go back to Green Bay? The allegations of rape against 'Big Ben' Roethlisberger, quarterback for Pittsburgh? Maybe word of the Black Eyed Peas' 'Beyond Thunderdome' outfits leaked out ahead of time. Regardless, Super Bowl XLV is officially the most-watched television broadcast, ever.
It's a surprise that the Packers and the Steelers managed to edge out the appeal of last year's game, despite both being very popular franchises. The 2009 New Orleans Saints set the record for the longest undefeated season opening (13–0) by an NFC team, going on to win their first Super Bowl as a sentimental post-Katrina favorite that sparked mass outbreaks of the phrase "Geaux Saints" and "Who Dat?" across the social media landscape.
According to Nielsen, the show finale of 'M-A-S-H' held the most-watched title for 27 years (106 million viewers on Feb. 28, 1983), until it was finally done in by the Saints and the Colts last year. After this year's impressive encore ratings performance, the five most-watched events in U.S. TV history are "M-A-S-H" and the last four Super Bowls.
"Super Bowl XLV caps what is arguably the most successful season that any sports league has ever had," said Pat McDonough, senior vice president for insight and analysis at the Nielsen Co. "The number of people watching NFL games has never been higher, with 24 percent more people watching the average NFL game this year than just five years ago. The Super Bowl continues to be in a category of its own."
NFL viewership is up 13 percent over last year, Nielsen said, with gams averaging 20 million viewers.
