Not surprisingly, the city of Pittsburgh led the way among television markets for Super Bowl XLIII.
The Steelers’ win over the Cardinals averaged a 53.6/79 rating in Pittsburgh, making the Steel City the highest rated market for Super Bowl XLIII. The 53.6 is down 7% from a 57.4/83 for Super Bowl XL three years ago, the last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
In Phoenix, Super Bowl XLIII drew a 47.5/80 rating, good for only a ninth place finish among metered markets. Surprisingly, the 47.5 rating is up only 1% from a 47.0 for last year’s Super Bowl XLII, which took place in Arizona. However, the 80 share (meaning 80% of televisions in use in Arizona were tuned to the game) was the highest among the top 25 markets.
Four NFL markets drew higher ratings than Phoenix, including Jacksonville (#3, 50.6/71), Buffalo (#4, 50.4/68), and Cleveland (#8, 47.7/69).
Host city Tampa also surpassed Phoenix, drawing a 49.2/70. The 49.2 is the highest rating for the Super Bowl in its host city since Super Bowl XL drew a 52.5 in Detroit three years ago.
Somewhat surprisingly, Norfolk was the second-highest rated market for the game, with a 52.6/72. To put that in perspective, the previous three Super Bowls drew ratings of 48.1 (XLII, #12), 42.8 (XLI, #29) and 47.1 (XL, #12) in the market.
Highest rated markets for Super Bowl XLIII.
53.6/79: Pittsburgh
52.6/72: Norfolk
50.6/71: Jacksonville
50.4/68: Buffalo
49.3/67: Richmond
49.2/70: Tampa
48.1/68: Ft. Myers
47.7/69: Cleveland
47.5/80: Phoenix
47.4/65: Indianapolis
