No matter what audience data is analyzed, we can reach only one conclusion: Super Bowl LVIII, which took place on Sunday the 11th, was the most watched NFL game in history.
Nielsen, considered the most important live TV audience measurement in the United States, reported that the 2024 edition of the Super Bowl reached an audience of 210 million people, considering the broadcasts made by CBS, Nickelodeon, Paramount+, and Univision in the country.
CBS alone, the free-to-air network that held the exclusive rights to the big game this year, would have attracted an audience of 120 million people.
As new players gain more importance in content consumption, measuring and analyzing audiences has become a more complex task.
However, this complexity can help draw a more complete picture of how people watched the Super Bowl, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs outshine the San Francisco 49ers (and, of course, Taylor Swift).
According to data from iSpot.TV, 126.6 million people watched the Super Bowl in the United States, whether on CBS, Univision, Nickelodeon, or Paramount+. These figures indicate an increase of 10.9% compared to last year’s audience.
With so much more interest in the game and so many more people tuning in to watch, it’s no surprise that big companies were eager to get involved and bets were flying in all directions.
Lots of people were checking out the NFL lines and odds to increase their chances of winning their wagers, and all eyes were on the potential outcome of the game. No wonder it got so much hype as the big day ticked closer!
iSpot.TV won the audience reporting race, releasing its figures seven hours before CBS reported the data provided by Nielsen and supplemented by Adobe Analytics for streaming. iSpot.TV estimated that outside the home (i.e. in bars and restaurants), around 25.9 million people watched the Super Bowl.
Although Fox and Nielsen reported relatively similar numbers for last year’s Super Bowl, CBS released its audience data a day before Nielsen, based on a combination of analyses from Nielsen Fast National and Adobe Analytics, which collects streaming data from its own servers.
Simultaneous broadcasts of Super Bowl LVIII
Nickelodeon’s alternative broadcast, which featured SpongeBob and Patrick Estrela directly from the broadcast booths, attracted 1.75 million viewers in the United States, according to data from iSpot.
Univision, which broadcast the game in Spanish, attracted an audience of 2.9 million people. Nielsen reported that Nickelodeon had an audience of 1.2 million people and Univision, 2.3 million.
Domestic streaming accounted for 34% of the audience, including Paramount+ and other digital channels such as YouTube, according to TVision. This figure is 28% higher than last year. Although neither Nielsen nor Paramount have released exact figures for the Super Bowl audience on streaming, the media company has announced a “record audience” on Paramount+.
So, what made this Super Bowl stand out? Well, it was partly the celebrity presence!
Usher’s HalfTime Show
Among the many spectators, few missed the big half-time show, which this year featured the king of R&B Usher. It was a performance to celebrate the artist’s 30 years of work, commissioned by Apple Music, which was the main sponsor of the event for the second time.
Usher in his HalfTime Show surrounded himself with dancers, marching bands, and circus performers, also supported by a soft-spoken Alicia Keys, along with Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris.
In outfits reminiscent of Michael Jackson, the singer presented his show in a setting that was certainly more Spartan than those of his colleagues in previous years.
It was a somewhat underwhelming performance and lacking in eye-catching set design, but it was enriched by consistently flawless choreography.
Taylor Swift’s presence increased viewers
Another captivating element that attracted many new fans to watch this game was the presence of Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl to cheer on her better half.
The artist is one of the most powerful crowd-pullers in the entertainment world; in fact, she is immersed in a tour of more than 150 concerts around the planet, for which she has immediately sold out and has become a billionaire; this concert, The Eras Tour, has also been seen in theaters and has broken box office records for a concert worldwide, with more than 260 million dollars in takings.
Swift, 34, is especially popular among millennial women, and turns everything she touches into gold; in fact, she is highly anticipated to be involved in the political issue in the upcoming U.S. elections in November, where experts say she may be able to sway the vote.
Hence, her presence in the Super Bowl was a big appeal for a portion of the public who are not always regulars at the Super Bowl, but who wanted to see their idol in the stands.
She flew from Tokyo, where she gave a concert the day before, to be present at the final. The reason was none other than to see her partner of about six months, tight end and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, on the field.
