It is said that 100 million Americans watch the Super Bowl every year, and the 2023 version lived up to the billing in terms of both entertainment and viewership.
It was advertised as being one of the best championship matchups in years, and it was. The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs played a thriller of a football game, one that was decided in the final minutes, however controversial. The Chiefs wound up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in the end, but the performances from both teams were memorable.
Super Bowl 2023 Is Third-Most Watched US Broadcast Ever
Plenty of people got to see it happen, too. The viewership for Super Bowl 2023 officially clocked in at 113 million, making it the third-most watched program in US television history. There were even more televisions tuned in for Rihanna’s performance, as the broadcast peaked at 118.7 million during the halftime show. According to FOX, that number is a 15 percent increase over the audience that watched last year’s halftime show featuring Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and others. It was the most viewership of a single event in FOX’s history.
It wasn’t the most watched Super Bowl ever, though. That distinction belongs to Super Bowl XLIX, the classic 2015 battle between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. That game fetched 114.4 million viewers, and is the second-most watched US television event ever.The 2023 version just barely beat out last year’s game between the Rams and Bengals, which had a viewership of 112.3 million.
What Other Broadcasts Rival The NFL?
There is no official number, but the most watched television event of all time was the footage of Apollo 11 from the moon. It is said that between 125-150 million Americans watched it live in 1969.
Otherwise, football is king, both historically and presently. Eight of the ten most-watched TV broadcasts have been Super Bowls, with the outliers being the Apollo 11 footage and President Richard Nixon’s resignation speech. Football ruled in 2022 as well, as 82 of the top 100 broadcasts in terms of viewership were NFL games.
FOX reaped the benefits, as it was reported that a 30-second ad space cost companies upwards of $7 million this year. Next year’s Super Bowl will be broadcast by CBS, and will be played in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time ever. Depending on the matchup in that game, look for it to be near the top of the most watched shows of all time.
