So it seems as though last night’s Super Bowl completely lived up to its name. Did you watch it? That question was rhetorical by the way. The numbers have begun to roll in, and based on the statistics, it seems highly probable that you did. While some of you are sitting there nursing your hangovers and food babies, the folks at CBS are celebrating a phenomenal evening for their network in terms of ratings.
The early numbers are in and it’s abundantly clear that CBS definitively won the evening. Within the major demographic of adults aged 18-49, CBS drew in roughly 70% of the total TV watching audience for the night. Over the course of the entire Super Bowl broadcast, CBS averaged 93.62 million total viewers, according to TV by the Numbers. For the sake of comparison, the network's three biggest competitors – NBC, FOX, and ABC – all averaged roughly 1.81, 0.90, and 1.79 million total viewers during the same period, respectively. If we boil these results down to football terminology, this is what’s known as a “blowout.” If the final numbers hold, last night’s Super Bowl ranks in as the second highest-rated Super Bowl of all time – coming in shortly behind last year’s game between the Seattle Seakhawks and the New England Patriots.
We can’t exactly say that this sort of performance surprises any of us. The Super Bowl has long had the ability to draw in enormous viewership, becoming America's most-watched sporting event over the course of the last 50 years. Beyond that, it’s an event designed for more than just football fans. Between the amazing commercials, highly anticipated movie trailer releases, and the annual Super Bowl Half Time Show, there’s something for everyone. Even Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem was a spectacle worth tuning in for.
Of course, we must note that it’s still early in the day and these numbers remain subject to change. These preliminary numbers are referred to the evenings “fast” ratings a.k.a the earliest available numbers regarding last night’s overall broadcast. As of now these are estimates, but the official ratings will be made available to the general public soon. Regardless of the potential for the numbers to fluctuate, it does little to change the fact that last night’s Super Bowl represents one of the most highly-rated sporting events of all time.
So while Peyton Manning and the rest of the Denver Broncos may have won the game, they aren’t the only people who had an absolutely phenomenal evening. We will bring you more news concerning the Super Bowl numbers as up-to-date information is made available.
