Super Bowl 2024 Breaks Record with 123.7 Million Average Viewers
By Movieguide® Contributor
The Super Bowl capped off a strong year for NFL viewership with a variety of factors contributing to its 123.7 million average viewers, an all-time high for any broadcast in television history.
The primary broadcast on CBS was watched by 112 million average viewers while the simulcasts on Nickelodeon, Paramount+, Univision and NFL+ brought in an additional nearly 12 million average viewers. Nielson estimates that 202.4 million people tuned in at some point during the broadcast.
The NFL has been a powerhouse this season, with SUNDAY NIGHT, MONDAY NIGHT and THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL consistently ranking among TV’s highest-rated shows. The Super Bowl capped the terrific year by smashing last year’s viewership record (115.1 million), topping it by 7%.
The last time TV saw viewership this high was nearly 65 years ago when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin broadcast man’s first steps on the moon. An estimated 125 million to 140 million Americans tuned into that broadcast, which was shown across three networks – the only networks available at the time.
Last Sunday’s game put up similar numbers with help from a record spend on advertisements as well as a boost in interest coming from Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce, a major force on the Chiefs’ offense.
Interest was also helped by a close score throughout the game, which required overtime to settle a tie – only the second Super Bowl to do so. Furthermore, fans of the game were interested to see if the Chiefs could win their third title in five years or if “Mr. Irrelevant,” 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy, could slay Goliath.
The record-high viewership of this year’s Super Bowl highlights the importance of live sports for cable and broadcast television. Amid massive cord-cutting nationwide, sports remain TV’s final defense against streaming. However, this advantage is waning as more and more sporting events find their way onto streaming services.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Networks are reporting rating declines across the board for 2023.
“As basic cable gets zombified, the double-digit declines continue,” Variety reported. “Live sports, of course, is saving the broadcast networks and some cable networks still in that game.”
NBC topped the list of most-watched networks this year, with 4,537,000 viewers, but that was a 12% drop from last year. CBS, in second place, also reported a 12% decrease in viewers.
ABC and Fox rounded out the top four, with 1% and 4% increases in viewership, respectively.
