The Super Bowl pregame had a sharp drop in ratings and viewership, though with a major caveat. In other news, the Spanish-language simulcast of the Super Bowl had a decline in viewership, and ESPN had gains for its postgame studio shows.
Super Bowl Pregame Lower, With Caveat
- NBC earned a 7.8 rating and 14.0 million viewers for the Super Bowl pregame show last Sunday, down 35% in ratings and 39% in viewership from last year on FOX (12.0, 23.1M), though with a major caveat. NBC’s pregame was measured from 1-6 PM ET, as opposed to 2-6:30 PM on FOX last year — meaning this year’s numbers include an extra hour of early afternoon fluff, but not the final half-hour before kickoff. NBC averaged 72.7 million for the 6-6:30 PM half-hour, up 6% from FOX last year (68.6M) and a record for the pre-kickoff segment. (NBC, NBC Sports Group Press Box)
Spanish-Language Super Bowl Simulcast Slips
- The Spanish-language simulcast of Super Bowl 49 drew 368,000 viewers on NBC Universo (previously mun2), the network’s largest non-soccer audience ever. Compared to last year’s simulcast on Fox Deportes, however, viewership declined by 34% (561K to 368K). (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
ESPN Sees Gains For Postgame NFL Primetime, SportsCenter
- ESPN earned 2.8 million viewers for the Super Bowl postgame edition of NFL Primetime Sunday night, up 18% from last year (2.4M), up 25% from 2013 (2.2M), and the most-watched post-Super Bowl edition since 2010 (3.2M). Keep in mind last year’s show followed a blowout and the 2013 show began after 11 PM ET. Later in the night, SportsCenter drew 2.0 million — up 18% from last year (1.7M) and up 27% from 2013 (1.6M). (via TV By the Numbers)
