Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp catches a touchdown against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple during the second half of Super Bowl 56.
Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
As many as 208 million people in the U.S. likely watched some or all of the Super Bowl, according to a new study from the National Football League and Nielsen, the television measurement firm.
That figure is a 25% gain from the 167 million people Nielsen said watched some or all of the game earlier this month.
The new findings are the result of a survey by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, or NORC, of 6,600 households to determine viewing of the Super Bowl, particularly at bars, restaurants and parties. The survey also used standard Nielsen measurement metrics.
“While it’s no secret that the Super Bowl is the biggest event across the media landscape on a yearly basis, the exact number of people watching the game has been challenging to pinpoint given the fact that people tend to gather in groups to watch the game,” said Paul Ballew, chief data and analytics officer of the NFL, in a statement.
Nielsen Sports Managing Director Jon Stainer said while the company is confident in its measurement capabilities, “we are always looking for ways to more strongly collaborate with our clients to better understand who may be watching, and how they may be watching.
The audience that viewed the entire game, in which the Los Angeles Rams narrowly beat the Cincinnati Bengals was 112.3 million, making it the most-watched Super Bowl since 2017. This year’s game was broadcast by NBC, its Spanish-language channel Telemundo and its Peacock streaming service.
Write to Joe Flint at [email protected]
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