Super Bowl sets record
with 111.3 million viewers
Game on NBC bests last year's mark by 300,000
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 7, 2012
It was by the slimmest of margins, but last night's Super Bowl XLVI set a record for most-watched program in TV history.
The NBC broadcast averaged 111.3 million total viewers, according to Nielsen, bettering last year's record on Fox by 300,000.
It marked the third straight year that the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched program, having surpassed the 106 million who watched the final edition of "M*A*S*H" in 2010.
Viewership peaked from 9:30 to 9:58 p.m., when 117.4 million watched the New York Giants score their final touchdown and the New England Patriots get the ball back with less than a minute to play. The Giants won 21-17.
It also marked the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, averaging a 47.0 household rating and 71 share. That was up 2 percent over last year's 46.0/69, and it marked the highest-rated game since Super Bowl XX, when the Chicago Bears-New England Patriots averaged 48.3/70.
It was the sixth-highest-rated game in Super Bowl history.
Among adults 18-49, the game averaged a 40.5, the highest-rated Super Bowl in the demo in 16 years.
The game had the most-watched halftime show in history, with 114 million watching Madonna's performance.
The huge numbers are not a surprise. The game was expected to see record viewership because of the popularity of both teams, one of which hails from the nation's No. 1 TV market (New York) and the huge anticipation for the matchup, a rematch of a record-setting game four years ago.
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