Super Bowl ratings and viewership inched up for the first time in five years.
Sunday’s Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl 54 averaged a 41.6 rating and 99.9 million viewers on FOX, per Nielsen fast-nationals — up 1% in ratings and 2% in viewership from Patriots-Rams on CBS last year (41.1, 98.19M), but down 3% in both measures from Eagles-Patriots on NBC in 2018 (43.1, 103.39M).
Compared to the previous Super Bowl on FOX — Patriots-Falcons in 2017 — ratings fell 8% (from 45.3) and viewership 10% (from 111.32M).
Kansas City’s win, which peaked with 103.5 million viewers from 9:45-10 PM ET, was the first Super Bowl to increase over the previous year since Patriots-Seahawks in 2015.
Including the streaming audience on FOX and NFL digital platforms and the Spanish-language audience on Fox Deportes, the game averaged 102.1 million viewers — up 1% from last year (100.7M).
The streaming audience of 3.4 million was a new record for the Super Bowl, rising 30% from last year (2.6M). The Fox Deportes audience of 757,000 was a record for the game on Spanish-language TV.
Though up slightly, this year’s Super Bowl still ranks as the second-least watched since 2009. This is the second-straight year the traditional game broadcast has finished shy of 100 million viewers, after nine straight years in which it exceeded that mark. Keep in mind viewership could edge above the 100 million mark when the final numbers are released later this week.
It also tied the second-lowest Super Bowl rating since 2005 (Patriots-Eagles: 41.1), matching Steelers-Seahawks in 2006.
Even so, any increase in the current television environment qualifies as a success story. The Super Bowl joins the most recent college football and college basketball national championships and last year’s Stanley Cup Final in posting increases over the previous year.
Super Bowl ratings chart, past decade
For a complete list of historical Super Bowl ratings, check this page.
[Nielsen estimates from Fox Sports, Gil Brandt/Twitter 2.3]
