Super Bowl XLVIII was a blowout victory for both the Seattle Seahawks and for Fox.
The big game pulled in 111.5 million viewers, topping the previous historical mark set two years ago of 111.3 million, when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. This, despite Seattle racking up the largest Super Bowl blowout in 21 years with a 43-8 beatdown of the Denver Broncos.
Fox’s previous network record was 111 million viewers for Super Bowl XLV (Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.) Three of the last four Super Bowls have set average viewership records.
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Super Bowl XLVIII posted a 46.4 rating and 69 share in households, matching the numbers for Super Bowl XLVII (Baltimore vs. San Francisco) a year ago, according to fast national figures issued Monday by Nielsen. The measurements also tie Super Bowls XVIII and XIX as the seventh highest-rated Super Bowls ever.
Sunday’s rating at kickoff, 44.5/70, ranks as the highest on record, and 12 percent more than the kickoff rating a year ago. A closer game may have provided a larger record margin for Fox.
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The Pepsi Halftime show, featuring Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, also set a record with 115.3 million people tuning in. That figure surpasses the 110.8 million delivered by Beyonce last year, and the prior record of 114.0 million set by Madonna two years ago.
Fox’s official pregame show hit a 12-year high, averaging a 12.0/22 — a 20 percent jump from CBS’ pregame last year — and 23.1 million viewers from 2:00 p.m. ET to kickoff (6:33 p.m. ET).
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Here are the Top 10 local markets in terms of the household ratings/share performance on Sunday:
Kansas City (58.1/78)
Seattle (56.7/92 — the market’s best Super Bowl performance ever)
Indianapolis (53.9/74)
New Orleans (53.2/72)
Tulsa (52.9/71)
Las Vegas (52.5/75)
Portland (52.4/82)
Knoxville (52.3/68)
Jacksonville (52.0/68)
Denver (51.4/83)
Tampa Bay (51.4/71)
Host market New York City delivered a 50.5, its best Super Bowl rating since 1987 (Super Bowl XXI: Giants vs. Broncos, 53.4).
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