New Super Bowl Ratings Record Set
After a review by Nielsen, it was found that this year’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles set a new viewership record. The revised number was posted at 115.1 million viewers, surpassing the previous record set in 2015’s final between New England and Seattle which had 114.4 million viewers.
This year’s Super Bowl also beat out the 2017 game between Atlanta and New England with 113.6 million viewers as the most watched of Fox’s 10 Super Bowls. The original figure of 113.1 million was increased by 2 million after Nielsen found coding irregularities and problems with out-of-home measurement during the review.
Fox Sports executive vice president Michael Mulvihill, who is head of strategy and analytics, praised Nielsen’s diligence in reviewing the numbers and coming up with the most correct number possible. He also acknowledged the importance and difficulty of Super Bowl Sunday, as viewers tune in via multiple platforms and languages.
The initial review was prompted when the NFL Network was credited with more than 1 million viewers during the game, despite its usual number being 80,000. A second review found errors with the out-of-home measurement. The total viewership includes broadcasts on Fox and Fox Deportes, as well as streaming on Fox and NFL sites.
The revised numbers also showed that Rihanna’s halftime show had higher viewership than originally reported, with the number increasing from 118.7 million to 121 million. Mulvihill expressed pride in the successful year the network had and the validation of the new record being set.
