MediaBuyerPlanner: Sunday’s Super Bowl was the second-most-watched Super Bowl in history and the third-most-watched program ever on TV, behind the 1996 game between the Cowboys and Steelers and the season finale of M*A*S*H in 1983.
The game drew 93.2 million total viewers, compared to 94.1 for the Cowboys/Steelers game and 106 million viewers for M*A*S*H, writes Media Life. At certain times of the game, 139.8 million people tuned in, according to Nielsen.
The super ratings were likely the result of three key factors: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is the NFL’s darling; the coaches of both teams were the first African American coaches ever to make the Super Bowl (which was expected to boost viewership among the black population); and half the population of Chicago, the nation’s third-largest market, was expected to tune in.
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