UPDATE: The official numbers have been released, and the game was actually the most watched TV show in US history, with 111.3 million fans tuning in, an improvement from 111.0 million last year. Viewership for the Super Bowl has now increased in each of the last seven years.
The New York Giants’ 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI drew some massive overnight ratings, but not quite enough to break the record for a Super Bowl.
NBC’s broadcast of the game drew a 47.8 rating and a 71 share, Nielsen Media reported today, per ESPN. The record remains 47.9/71, originally generated by the Giants’ victory over the Denver Broncos in 1987 and tied last year, with the Green Bay Packers win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The record in Boston, set with the 2002 Super Bowl, was actually broken, with a 56.7/81. Ratings in New York came in second to the aforementioned 1987 title game, and Indianapolis’ 56.4/79 was good enough for second highest for a host city, falling just short of Jacksonville’s 2006 mark of 58.9/77.
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