FOX drew giant numbers for an epic Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XLII drew 97.5 million viewers, the most ever for a Super Bowl, surpassing the previous mark of 94.1 million viewers for Super Bowl XXX.
The 97.5 million viewers makes the Giants’ 17-14 defeat of the Patriots the second-most watched television broadcast in American history, short of only the 106 million viewers who tuned into the series finale of M*A*S*H in 1983. While the Super Bowl fell short of the record set by M*A*S*H, the game matched the 106 million viewer mark during the 9:30 PM half hour.
The game drew a 43.2/65 final rating, the highest for a Super Bowl since 2000.
Most watched Super Bowls.
97.5 million: XLII, Giants/Patriots (2/3/08 FOX)
94.1 million: XXX, Cowboys/Steelers (1/28/96 NBC)
93.2 million: XLI, Colts/Bears (2/4/07 CBS)
