Super Bowl averages 113 million, 3rd most-watched in history
Feb 14, 2023
Sunday’s Super Bowl was the third most-watched television show in history, with an estimated 113 million people watching the Kansas City Chiefs rally to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles
Fox was hoping the matchup of two top teams in the Super Bowl and a close game would lead to a record night.
Even though Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles came down to a field goal with 8 seconds remaining, Fox fell just short of its goal.
The Chiefs' rally to defeat the Eagles 38-35 is on pace to become the third most-watched television show in history, with an estimated 113 million people watching, according to preliminary numbers released Monday.
Fox said the audience estimate includes the broadcasts on Fox and Fox Deportes as well as streaming on Fox and the NFL's digital sites. The figures are via Nielsen's Fast National data and Adobe Analytics.
The 2015 game between New England and Seattle on NBC holds the record at 114,442,000 viewers (not including streaming), followed by Super Bowl 51 in 2017 on Fox between Atlanta and New England (113,668,000).
This was Fox's 10th Super Bowl since it began airing NFL games in 1994 and the second most-watched program in Fox Sports history.
It would also be a slight increase over the 112.3 million average for last year's Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals was broadcast by NBC and Telemundo and streamed on Peacock and NFL digital sites.
According to Adobe Analytics, this year's digital feed averaged a Super Bowl-record 7 million streams, an 18% increase over last year (6 million) and more than double Fox's last Super Bowl in 2020 (3.4 million).
It was the third straight year the streaming average has surpassed 5 million. The first Super Bowl to be streamed, in 2012, averaged 346,000.
Rihanna's halftime show averaged 118.7 million viewers, making it the second-most watched in Super Bowl history. Katy Perry's 2015 performance holds the top mark at 121 million.
The Spanish-language audience average for the game was 951,000, a record for the most-watched Super Bowl game in Spanish-language cable television history. It was also the most watched non-soccer event in Spanish-language cable history.
The Spanish-language number is down from last year's record of 1.9 million on Telemundo, which unlike Fox Deportes has broadcast affiliates in 90 markets.
The Super Bowl has been televised in Spanish in the United States since 2014.
Final Nielsen data will be available on Tuesday, including the English-language television-only figures. After Super Bowls averaged over 100 million viewers from 2010-18, four of the five games before this year had fallen short of that number because of cord-cutting. That included 95.2 million for the 2021 Super Bowl between Tampa Bay and Kansas City, which was the game's lowest TV-only average since 2007.
If Sunday's number can better the 99.18 million from last year, it would mark the first time since 2015 there had been two straight years of increases.
Unsurprisingly, Kansas City and Philadelphia were the two highest-ranked markets. Kansas City led the way with a 52.0 rating and 87 share followed by Philadelphia’s 46.3/77.
The rating is the percentage of television households tuned in. The share refers to a percentage of the TV-watching audience viewing a particular program at the time.
Cincinnati, which lost to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game, and Minneapolis also recorded 77 shares.
The flood of ads during what is easily television’s most-watched event of the year was heavy on celebrities — Ben Affleck, Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Martha Stewart and “Breaking Bad” cast members.
Steve Williamson, senior vice president of the market research firm GWI. said surveys show that trust in brands is down this year and companies were looking for well-known names for a boost.
“There wasn’t a primary brand that took over the Super Bowl,” he said. “There were all sorts of brands from alcohol to gambling to Jesus.”
Fox also said 15.5 million people watched the season premiere of Gordon Ramsay's competition show “Next Level Chef” following the game. The spot after the Super Bowl is usually the most-coveted time slot on television.
___
AP Media Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
More News
Claes Bang, Emma Mackey, Vicky Krieps and More Join Marion Cotillard in Marrakech Jury
Marrakech Film Festival has revealed the lineup of the jury, which is led by Marion Cotillard, as previously announced. Judging the winners of the Étoile d’Or from among the 14 films in competition will be Danish actor Claes Bang, who gained international recognition for his turn in Ruben Östlund’s “The Square,” which won the Palme […]
‘Hamnet’ Play From Royal Shakespeare Company Sets First U.K. Tour
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage version of “Hamnet,” Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about William Shakespeare’s family and the death of his 11-year-old son, will tour the U.K. for the first time starting in September 2027. Fiery Angel and Neal Street Productions are presenting the RSC production, which previously played London’s West End. […]
Bollywood Romance ‘Weekend’ Eyes First Indian Feature Shoot in Russia’s Yakutia as Picture Perfect Signs MoU With Sakhafilm, Saidam Baryl (EXCLUSIVE)
Indian romantic drama “Weekend” is eyeing a shoot in Russia’s remote Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, after producer Vivek Singhania’s banner Picture Perfect signed a memorandum of understanding with local outfits Saidam Baryl and Sakhafilm to explore taking the production there. The three-way MoU was signed during the recently concluded 9th Yakutsk International Film […]
Nicole Kidman To Receive Honorary César In France
Nicole Kidman will be feted with an Honorary César at the 52nd César Ceremony in Paris in February 2026. She follows in the wake of Jim Carrey (2026) Julia Roberts (2025), Christopher Nolan (2024), David Fincher (2023) Cate Blanchett (2022), Robert Redford (2019) and George Clooney (2017). The Australian actress has worked with a number […]
‘Bridgerton’ Star Adjoa Andoh Creating & Starring In ITV Detective Drama ‘Protect And Serve’
EXCLUSIVE: Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh is swapping Shonda Rhimes’ regency wonderland for an ITV detective drama. Andoh is creating her first drama series, Protect and Serve [working title], with Time scribe Helen Black. Andoh will play the lead, DI Araba Dadzie, a cop, mother and daughter. Araba is in the squeezed middle of her life, […]
‘The Bureau’ Producer Federation Studios Moves to Recapitalize as Lionel Uzan Succeeds Pascal Breton as President
Federation Studios, the Paris-based group behind French spy series “The Bureau,” is overhauling its finances and leadership, with co-founder Lionel Uzan succeeding Pascal Breton as president and Montefiore and the company’s financial shareholders set to take majority control. The company said Thursday that it settled on the plan after weighing a number of strategic alternatives. […]
James Bond Producer Barbara Broccoli to Be President of U.K.’s National Film and Television School
James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has been revealed as the next president of the U.K.’s National Film and Television School. She succeeds Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam in the role. Broccoli will be the first female president in the NFTS’s history. Puttnam, whose credits include “Chariots of Fire,” “The Killing Fields” and “Midnight Express,” is to […]
Barbara Broccoli Appointed President Of UK’s National Film & Television School
EXCLUSIVE: Barbara Broccoli has been named the first female president of the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS). The storied James Bond producer becomes President just a few weeks before the opening of a building dedicated to her father, the legendary Cubby Broccoli. Barbara Broccoli will build on her longstanding relationship with the NFTS […]
Lionel Uzan Succeeding Pascal Breton As President Of Federation Studios; Montefiore Ups Stake
Federation Studios’ Lionel Uzan is taking the reins at the French entertainment giant with Pascal Breton stepping back, as Montefiore Investments becomes a majority shareholder. Federation, which had been seeking a huge cash injection of hundreds of millions of euros for the past couple of years, will have a new structure with an increase of […]
Russell Brand Documentary From ‘Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story’ Producers Set at Netflix Days After Rape Sentencing
Netflix has unveiled a documentary on Russell Brand, days after the comedian and former actor received a prison term of 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault. “Russell Brand: Open Secret” is directed by Olivia Isaacs and produced by Fremantle-owned 72 Films, the company behind “Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story.” The […]
‘I Play Rocky’ Opens 50th Anniversary Edition of Cairo Film Festival as Chief Hussein Fahmy Looks to the Future
As the Cairo Intl. Film Festival celebrates 50 years since its founding, president Hussein Fahmy wants younger Egyptians to rediscover their country’s rich cinematic heritage. For the veteran actor, introducing new audiences to the films that established Egypt as the Arab world’s cinematic capital is central to the festival’s future. Speaking to Variety ahead of […]
Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan play an occasionally thrilling game of cat-and-mouse in Apple's 12 12 12
Apple TV's heist show 12 12 12 might be built on tropes, but it's got style to spare and great performances by Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan.