This year’s Super Bowl was watched by an average of 123.4 million people in the US, making it the most watched broadcast since the 1969 Moon landing.
Preliminary US TV ratings put Sunday’s game just behind Apollo 11’s historic landing, which was seen by an estimated 125 to 150 million people.
Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.
Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated attendance to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce may have boosted the figures.
There was much speculation in the run-up to the event about whether Swift would make it back from Japan, where she had been performing on tour.
According to Variety, there is some debate over how much she affected audience numbers, but consumer research firm Numerator concluded from a flash poll that 20% of Super Bowl viewers were rooting for the Chiefs because of the singer’s relationship with Kelce.
The cameras were certainly enjoying the Swift factor, including shots of the star entering the arena, hanging out with actress Blake Lively and rapper Ice Spice, and kissing Kelce after the match as they celebrated the win.
Of this year’s viewers, 112 million of the 123.4 million average watched the game on CBS, with the rest tuning into Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision, CBS Sports and NFL digital channels.
According to media analysts Nielsen, a record 202.4 million people watched at least part of the game.
This year’s figures may have also been helped by the fact Nielsen has changed the way it counts people watching out of their own homes - for example with friends or family, or in bars.
Last year’s Super Bowl game between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was watched by 115.1 million viewers.
The fact the Chiefs were defending their championship title plus Usher performing the half-time show were also big draws this year.
The pop star’s guests included Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am, Lil John, Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri.
Usher continued the celebrations later by getting married to his long-term partner Jennifer Goicoechea in Las Vegas, where the Super Bowl was held.
The couple got hitched at Vegas Weddings’ Terrace Gazebo, an outdoor wedding chapel that seats 30 guests, according to People.
“We can confirm that Usher and Jennifer Goicoechea took the next step in their relationship and did get married on Sunday night in Las Vegas surrounded by close friends and family,” a representative for the singer told the publication.
“They both look forward to continuing to raise their children together surrounded by love and thank everyone for the well wishes.”
Source: BBC
--Agencies
