The NFL is a modern-day Rome with no end in sight.
I’ve said it for years, and here we go again with further dominance from the NFL: Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles pulled in a crazy 113 million viewers, according to early Nielsen data cited by CNN. The Chiefs won the game, broadcasted by Fox, in tainted fashion, 38-35.
The whopping numbers make Super Bowl LVII the third most-watched television program of all-time, and it’s the NFL’s highest viewership ratings for the big game in six years — SBLVII also tops 2022’s ratings on NBC, which were tallied at 112.3 million viewers.
The Apple Music Halftime Show performed by Rihanna pulled in even higher numbers than the Super Bowl, recording an average of 118.7 million viewers — the second-highest ratings for a halftime show at the big game, Fox Sports announced.
The ratings are in for the Super Bowl! 🏈
There was an average of 113 million viewers for the game and 118.7 million for the halftime show. These have been the biggest ratings in 6 years, making the show the 3rd most-watched TV program of all time.
📸: AP pic.twitter.com/2YglUWCFRz
— Breakfast Television (@breakfasttv) February 14, 2023
It’s not really that surprising given how dominant the NFL is, but at the same time, you can’t help but be impressed because of that dominance. I said it when I got into sports media nearly 10 years ago, and I’ll say it again: The NFL really is a modern-day Rome with no end in sight.
It’s absolutely incredible what the league has been able to do in terms of ratings. It flat-out steamrolls everybody. For example, the NFL had 82 of the top 100 most-watched broadcasts in the U.S. in 2022. It’s just amazing. (RELATED: ‘I Dare You’: Stugotz’s 2017 Hot Take Slamming Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid Goes Viral After It Ages Horribly)
And you know what else is amazing?
This:
Wow. 113 million tuned into the Super Bowl this year. You know what that means? The #USFL had multiple ads play during this event…reaching 113 million viewers. That’s quite the audience.
Excited to see the growth in ratings & attendance as the @USFL heads towards season two. https://t.co/53UzjWBrht
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) February 14, 2023
Which reminded me of this:
.@TheRock is looking forward to even more football 💪
The @XFL2023 season kicks off this Saturday 🏈 pic.twitter.com/BfERNYvvyQ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 13, 2023
Isn’t it glorious?
The Super Bowl just ended and football is already back — absolutely beautiful!