WatchDog has learned Super Bowl XLII was watched by an average of 97.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen's "fast national'' estimates, making it the most-watched American sports event ever, easily surpassing the 94.1 million for Super Bowl XXX between the Steelers and Cowboys in Arizona 12 years ago.
Fox was working Monday afternoon to determine exactly where the game ranked in the history of all sports and entertainment programs. The M*A*S*H finale in 1983 was seen by an estimated 106 million people, No. 1 on the list.
The game attracted 43.2 percent of households and 65 percent with a TV in use, making it the highest-rated Super Bowl since the Rams-Titans game in 2000 (43.3/67).
The peak rating between 9:30 and 10 was 47.8, with a whopping 105.7 million viewers, more than a third of all Americans.
Comments (6)
For someone who was only 1 at the time, can you (or anyone) explain how M*A*S*H drew 106 million people? That's ungodly number for a TV show, especially when you consider that the US population was probably closer to 250 million at the time.
Anyway, the number for this game can't come of much of a surprise I would imagine. A major market, a nationally-known team, a national story (18-0), a Manning, a Brady, etc. etc.
...and a very good game!
If it had been the Bears or the Cowboys instead of the Giants, it might have been even bigger. Two teams in town reduced the NY rating on this game (although it's still bigger than the NHL on NBC drew earlier in the day) :)
M*A*S*H was the most popular show of its time -- but the biggest difference is that viewers didn't have hundreds of other choices. I probably had about 30 channels on cable at the time (and some of them showed nothing but ads). I'd be interested to know if this game is the most watched show by MALE viewers of all-time? Neil- any idea when/if that's available?
As it turns out, I was fortunate to have 30 channels.
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On Long Island without Cable, it was really only 7 channels --and some of them didn't come in all that great--particularly in Suffolk County.
There were also likely many fewer televisions per home then -- which would also increase the total.
The MASH finale did a 60 rating, something inconceivable in today's fractured media environment.
What would a Manning Bowl do?