Take two of the highest profile teams in football, add two weeks of national controversy and a nail-biting finish, and the result is the best overnight rating in Super Bowl history.
The Patriots/Seahawks Super Bowl drew a 49.7 overnight rating on NBC Sunday night, up 4% from Seahawks/Broncos on FOX last year (47.6), up 3% from Ravens/49ers on CBS in 2013 (48.1), and the highest overnight in Super Bowl history.
The 49.7 tops the previous mark of 48.1 set in 2013. Prior to that point, the highest overnight was a 47.9 for Packers/Steelers in 2011 and Giants/Broncos in 1987.
In addition to setting a Super Bowl record, the 49.7 is tied as the highest ever for a sporting event in the metered markets — matching primetime coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics on CBS that featured Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.
Sunday’s overnight peaked at a 53.5 from 9:45-10 PM ET.
(Sun. overnight from twitter.com/nbcsportspr; NBC Sports Group Press Box)
