Feb. 02--Just about half the TVs in the nation's major media markets were tuned in to Super Bowl XLIX Sunday night. And that's a record.
Nielsen, the TV-ratings company, reported Monday that the overnight rating for the New England Patriots' 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks was an all-time high of 49.7, meaning 49.7% of the homes with televisions in those markets were watching the game.
While Nielsen still has no estimate on the actual number of viewers, that could very well end up being a record too since the overnight rating is four percentage points better than that for last year's Super Bowl.
That game -- a 43-8 victory for the Seahawks over the Denver Broncos -- was the most-watched TV event in U.S. history. It was the fourth time in five years that the Super Bowl set that mark.
This year's showdown was anything but a blowout, with plenty of drama in the final seconds that may have kept most viewers glued to their sets. According to Nielsen, the game received a 72 share, meaning 72% of TVs that were in use Sunday night were tuned to the Super Bowl.
