Super Bowl XLVI Most Watched Program Ever
Written by Bob Whalon, Monday February 06 2012
In what is becoming an annual occurrence lately, this year's Super Bowl set the record for the most-watched television show in U.S. history. That marks the third straight year that the Super Bowl set a new record for television ratings.
The Neilson Company announced on Monday that Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants was watched by an estimated 111.3 million people on Sunday night. If that estimate proves to be accurate, it barely beat out the 111 million that viewed last year's Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
There were many reasons why this game set a new record. First and foremost, the game was competitive right up until the very end. As a matter of fact, the outcome of the game was in doubt until the very last play of the game. Tom Brady's last-second Hail Mary pass into the end zone could have won the game for the Patriots, but it fell incomplete after being tipped.
That play itself had the biggest audience of any play of the game, according to digital video recorder maker, Tivo. Neilson also said that 117.7 million people were watching during the last half hour of the game.
Another reason for the big audience was the New York media market. New York has the largest television audience in the country, but this wasn't even the highest rated Super Bowl in New York. That distinction belongs to the Giant's first Super Bowl appearance in 1986.
New England fans on the other hand, tuned into this Super Bowl more than any other. Super Bowl XLVI was the highest-rated NFL game ever in Boston.
Even the halftime show had record numbers. Madonna headlined the halftime show that was seen by an estimate 114 million people. That not only makes it the most watched halftime show ever, but it is also a higher average rating than the game itself.
Keeping the audience until the very end was great news for NBC, who broadcast the Super Bowl. Their show "The Voice", that premiered after the game, kept 37.6 million viewers in front of their televisions.
While all these Super Bowls keep setting new records, the final episode of "M*A*S*H" still sits among the highest rated programs ever. That and the last three Super Bowls are the only programs to exceed 100 million viewers in U.S. television history.
Tags: Green Bay Packers, M*A*S*H, Madonna, Most-Watched television show ever, NBC, Neilson Company, Neilson Ratings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl, Super Bowl Halftime show, Super Bowl XLVI, The Vo, Tivo, Tom Brady
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