Last Sunday’s Super Bowl game was the most-watched broadcast in television history.
According to a compilation by the Nielsen and Adobe Analytics firm, the victory of the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime 25 to 22 against the 49ers San Francisco averaged 123.4 million viewers across television and streaming platforms, shattering the 115.1 million mark set last year during Kansas City’s win over the Eagles from Philadelphia. The increase was measured at 7%.
Nielsen added that a record 202.4 million watched at least part of the game across all networks, up 10% from last year’s figure of 183.6 million.
Last Sunday’s game, the longest in National Football League (NFL) Finals history, was only the second of 58 Super Bowls to require overtime. The previous one was in 2017, when the New England Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
This most recent Super Bowl also offered the added appeal of Taylor Swift. The pop music superstar is the girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a romance that has brought new fans to the National League.
The NFL playoffs averaged 38.5 million viewers over the first three weekends, a 9% increase from last year. This followed a regular season average of 17.9 million, tied for the second-highest since averages were first recorded in 1995.
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