Superbowl 45: Most watched program ever

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general35

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Irving, TX – History was made last night on FOX when Super Bowl XLV became the most-watched U.S. television program ever, and FOX became the first network ever to exceed 100 million viewers (100.9 million) for a night in prime time, according to fast-national ratings released today by Nielsen Media Research. The game, the outcome of which was in doubt until the final seconds, saw the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to capture the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl Championship.

FOX Sports’ broadcast of Super Bowl XLV averaged 111 million viewers and is the most-watched television program in U.S. history, obliterating the prior record of 106.5 set last year during Super Bowl XLIV by 4.5 million viewers and the 106.0 million for the series finale of M*A*S*H, which held the viewership record from 1983 to 2010.

This is the fourth consecutive Super Bowl to set a viewership record, and attracted 13.5 million more viewers than FOX’s last Super Bowl broadcast in 2008 (97.5 million) for the New York Giants upset of the undefeated New England Patriots. No other major sporting event has ever hit a record high in four consecutive years. This also marks the sixth straight year that Super Bowl viewership has increased, and over that span average Super Bowl viewership has increased from 86.1 million in 2005 to 111.0 million, a gain of nearly 25 million viewers.
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ok seriously, every time a sport has a championship game it instantly becomes the most watched thing ever. auburn oregon was the most watched, then it was the last super bowl, then it was something else. we get it, theres more people, theres more tvs, more people watch. we dont need to hear every time a sport has a big game that more people watched it.
 
That is about 1/7th of the World Cup final, just the final for 2006. 2.10 was more. It goes to show how small a piece of the pie our version of football is globally and how small potatoes it is. I adore it but luckily, I adore the other type too.
 
i thought it was an impressive stat considering it was 2 small market teams and 1/3 of the country watched. it just shows how the nfl in king in this country. what do you think would be the ratings for a world series between the milwaukee brewers and pittsburgh pirates (i realize they are in the same league but historically were not). i dont think the auburn/oregon game had very high ratings. it was on cable. it was the highest rated program on espn in history but that was easy. the only other programs that ever rated that high were last years sb and the last episode of mash which held the record for almost 20 years. the owners and players better reach a deal.
 
It's just proof that brands matter in the NFL - or college football or any other sport. Green Bay and Pittsburgh is a marquee matchup between two dynasties that have somehow never met in a Super Bowl. It's a great matchup and has a lot of appeal.

BTW no one has officially claimed Auburn-Oregon was the most watched BCS game ever. The statement was made that it was the most-watched cable broadcast ever - BIIIIIIIIIG difference.
 
Right, but still, every time there's a big game some news agency puts out that it was the most watched thing ever.

Also, the Super Bowl may have had only 1/7th the viewers of the World Cup, but at least it only had 1/70th the flopping. Seriously though, does the 1/7 represent the USA's TV viewership for the WC or the Worlds viewership of the WC?
 
The M*A*S*H record stood for 27 years but has now been broken each of the last two Super Bowls...I think the record being broken is a big deal, signifying the popularity of the NFL. A lockout now sure does make sense for the owners.
 
So, 111 million people out of 310 million watched the SB in the US = 35.8%

The World Cup drew in 7 times that viewership out of the worlds population = 777 mil out of 7 billion = 11.2%

Three times as many people in the US watched the SB than did people in the world who watched the WC final. Obviously we have more TV, more free time, more money, but, off percentages, football is more popular here than soccer is in the world.
 
That's a bold statement. You do know that most people in the world, that is over 1/2, sleep in hammocks? A lot of them don't have TV sets in their thatched huts, either. But they go to soccer matches every week, and each one owns six vuvuzelas.
BTW, the average Formula 1 race attracts 600 million television viewers (2008 figures). And there are what, 20 or so races per season?
 
A lot of them don't have TV sets in their thatched huts, either. But they go to soccer matches every week.
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no they don't. im a soccer nut. the only leagues that routinely sell out are the epl and bundesliga. it isnt as big a sport in asia. obviously, the countries around the world all have soccer leagues but it isnt necessarily as popular as the nfl is in this country. they dont have any other sports. soccer is huge in europe and s. america but i was watching a brazilian match the other day and the stadium was 1/3 full.
 
well yeah, obviously i would need to know how many tv's are out there for it be even remotely accurate. i was bored so i crunched some numbers for amusement
 
You should have stuck with Corn Nuts.

I don't know one overseas friend that gives a **** about our football. Not one. They may watch a game or try to here and there but don't follow the standings. It's a novelty. Our football is a drop in a bucket. I love that drop but also love the bucket.
 
1.6% of the world watched the SB on sunday. That's a little more than a drop in the bucket. Plus, with the awesome matchup of Denver and San Fran this year in London, it won't be long before the American Football Invasion takes over the Kingdom.
 
well, the younger 1/3 and the older 1/3 of our population don't really know whats going on, so of people who do know whats going on, 100% watched it
 
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