In the days leading up to Super Bowl LVIII, social media was filled with NFL fans claiming they wouldn't be tuning in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers compete against one other. The data indicates otherwise, as this was the most successful Super Bowl program by many measures.
In fact, Nielsen Fast National data and Adobe Analytics reveal that it was the most successful telecast ever.
Per a release from Paramount, Kansas City vs. San Francisco set a record for the most-watched telecast in history. Drawing in a Total Audience Delivery mark of 123.4 million viewers across all platforms, the most-viewed program ever was nothing short of a hit. The aforementioned platforms include NFL+, Paramount+, Univision and NFL digital properties, CBS and more. Nickelodeon's "Super Bowl LVIII Live from Bikini Bottom" was also a part of that data. Here's more from the release:
Super Bowl LVIII is the most-watched program ever, averaging 123.4 million viewers across all platforms, up +7% vs. last year’s Super Bowl which was the previous record (115.1 million).
More than 200 million viewers (202.4) watched all or part of Super Bowl LVIII across networks, the highest unduplicated total audience in history and up +10% vs. last year’s Super Bowl (184 million).
The broadcast on CBS, particularly, was terrific. Bringing in 120 million viewers, that figure served as the largest audience ever for one specific network. Dating back to 1998 when the NFL ON CBS came back to the network, this was its most successful regular season and playoffs. Streaming on Paramount+ also set a new record.
For the second year in a row, the Chiefs managed to help draw in quite the crowd during the Super Bowl. Even earlier this postseason run, the team continued to put up massive numbers. Wild Card Weekend's win over the Miami Dolphins set a record for the most-streamed live event ever in the United States; the Divisional Round versus the Buffalo Bills was CBS' best Divisional Round performance and the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens broke an early-window record in its own right.
As it turns out, viewers do seem to take an interest in watching Patrick Mahomes and Co. play.
Related: Chiefs’ SB Win Locks in Dynasty, Consistent Expectations