There’s nothing bigger than the Super Bowl. What began as a football game has morphed into a pop-culture phenomenon. The Super Bowl is about more than the two teams competing. It’s about the commercials and ads, and about the halftime show. It’s a spectacle in every sense.
But there was a time when the Super Bowl was a more humble affair. Still, there’s no denying that Americans have always loved their football.
The game is a perfect mix of raw power and intellectual strategy. A high-stakes chess match that requires the strength and determination of gladiators. It seems tailor-made for American audiences.
But now, it’s even more than that. The NFL has become established as a global game. Seemingly everyone knows when it’s Super Sunday.
Most-Viewed Super Bowls in History
10. Super Bowl XLVII, 49ers vs. Ravens—108,693,000 total average viewers
Infamously the year in which a blackout at the Superdome delayed the game, the 49ers-Ravens clash in 2013 had a lot to offer. It was a battle of Harbaugh brothers, with Jim on the San Francisco sideline and John on the Baltimore side. The game also featured the one and only Beyoncé as the halftime show performer. To top it off it was a very competitive contest that came down to the final possession—a Ravens’ defensive stand at the goal line. Not hard to understand why this 34-31 contest still ranks among the most-viewed Super Bowls of all time.
9. Super Bowl XLV, Packers vs. Steelers—111,041,000 total average viewers
Two absolutely massive fan bases watched their favorite teams go head-to-head in 2010 and it remains one of the highest-rated Super Bowls ever. The Packers were led by Aaron Rodgers and a very exciting offense with numerous weapons. The Steelers were coming off a Super Bowl win the previous season over the Cardinals with prime Ben Roethlisberger and a typically dangerous Pittsburgh defense.
8. Super Bowl XLVI, Giants vs. Patriots—111,346,000 total average viewers
The sequel to the great upsets in NFL history. This Super Bowl featured the Patriots facing the Giants yet again after New York thwarted New England’s attempt at the second undefeated season in NFL history back in ‘07. And this game unfolded in a similar fashion, too. Big Blue’s offensive line harassed Tom Brady all game and the Pats couldn’t get anything going on that side of the ball. Defensively, New England’s unit was overmatched but the game still came down to an incredible throw-and-catch by Eli Manning to Mario Manningham. As far as narratives go, few were more popular than this Super Bowl and the ratings reflect that.
7. Super Bowl LI, Falcons vs. Patriots—111,973,000 total average viewers
The greatest comeback of all time that cemented Brady’s spot as the greatest quarterback of all time. The Patriots fell down 28-3 to the Falcons in the third quarter before authoring the most unlikely turnaround in the history of football, battling all the way back into the game to force overtime; New England won the championship on the first possession of OT. While it was not a fun game to watch for anybody from Atlanta (or anyone sick of the Patriots dynasty), it was undeniably one of the best games to ever be played on the biggest stage.
6. Super Bowl 50, Broncos vs. Panthers—112,336,000 total average viewers
Peyton Manning’s last hurrah. The Broncos got to the Super Bowl despite Manning being in the final year of his career with one of the greatest defenses we’ve seen yet, led by the supernatural pass-rushing talents of Von Miller. The Panthers were led by superhuman efforts from the league MVP, Cam Newton, whose dual-threat abilities made him one of the toughest quarterbacks to play in modern NFL history. The championship bout wasn’t the most exciting but Denver’s defense was excellent and Manning’s send-off gave the Big Game a big viewership boost.
5. Super Bowl XLVIII, Broncos vs. Seahawks—112,752,000 viewers total average viewers
This Super Bowl pitted one of the greatest offenses ever against one of the greatest defenses ever. Manning led Denver to a truly amazing season and set an NFL record with 55 touchdown passes. Seattle’s Legion of Boom remains one of the great secondaries in league history featuring Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Brandon Browner. This game wound up proving the old adage that defense wins championship; the Seahawks completely shut down the Broncos and won in a blowout.
4. Super Bowl XLIX, Patriots vs. Seahawks—114,810,000 total average viewers
This Super Bowl had everything—star power, a great amount of narrative juice, and an incredibly competitive game decided in the final seconds. The Patriots were 10 years removed from their last championship and were going up against the defending champ Seahawks who had annihilated Brady’s longtime foe in Manning one year prior. Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch had fully established themselves as one of the NFL’s best QB-RB combos; Brady did the same with Rob Gronkowski at tight end. The Seahawks looked fated to win a second straight title, but Malcolm Butler’s famous interception snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the Patriots and sparked another dynastic run from New England.
3. Super Bowl LVII, Chiefs vs. Eagles—115,096,000 total average viewers
What a game this was. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at the peak of their powers, while Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ talented offense made for a very good opponent. Fans were treated to an excellent back-and-forth game that featured tons of scoring and amazing highlights from playmakers on both sides. It all came down to the wire; a controversial penalty allowed the Chiefs to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired. It was the first edition of the Kansas City-Philadelphia Super Bowl series.
2. Super Bowl LVIII, 49ers vs. Chiefs—123,714,000 total average viewers
Another excellent game ranking highly on this list. The Chiefs were trying to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs since the Patriots in the mid-aughts. The 49ers were trying to avenge their championship loss to Mahomes and K.C. from a few years prior. It had all the narrative juice the NFL could hope for. Then the game started and it was good. So good, in fact, that it became the second Super Bowl ever to go into overtime. The Chiefs ultimately prevailed but nearly everybody enjoyed watching this game.
1. Super Bowl LIX, Chiefs vs. Eagles—127,700,000 total average viewers
The most recent Super Bowl is the most-viewed, which is no surprise. The Chiefs and Eagles had just faced off in the championship bout two years prior so there was history to draw upon. K.C. earned its spot with multiple unlikely playoff wins while Philadelphia steamrolled everyone in its way. Then the game started and the outcome was shocking. Mahomes and the dynastic Chiefs got crushed by Hurts and the Eagles on both sides of the ball. It was a stunning result, one that portended the end of this version of the Chiefs and launched Philadelphia into ecstasy as the city celebrated its second championship.
The Birth and Evolution of the Super Bowl
While the extra pageantry that accompanies the Super Bowl wasn’t there back in the day, there was no doubt the game was going to garner plenty of interest.
In fact, the game that we now recognize as Super Bowl I was dubbed “The Super Nielsen Bowl” by many newspapers.
And those publications were correct. The game, which was broadcast by both CBS and NBC in 1967, drew in more than 51 million viewers.
Just 10 years later, Super Bowl XI brought in 62.05 million viewers. Most of those first 11 Super Bowls had a share around 70, meaning that 70% of all televisions that were in use were watching the Super Bowl.
The Most Iconic Super Bowls in History
Believe it or not, the most-watched Super Bowls in history are not always the most memorable. However, a couple stand out as being both highly watched and highly regarded.
Super Bowl XLIX (2015): A classic Super Bowl featuring the dominant “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawks defense and the attempted resurgence of the New England Patriots’ dynasty, Super Bowl XLIX is the third-most viewed (114.8 million) Super Bowl in history. The game is also considered one of the best, with the Patriots intercepting Russell Wilson at the goal line in the final seconds.
Super Bowl LI (2017): The first Super Bowl to go to overtime saw Tom Brady and the Patriots complete an improbable comeback against the Atlanta Falcons. Super Bowl LI became known as the “28–3 Game” and the scorebug image became a meme. It is the sixth-most viewed Super Bowl in history, drawing 111.9 million.
On the flipside, there’s one Super Bowl that stands out in a bad way. Despite being one of the most-watched Super Bowls ever, the game was an absolute bore.
Super Bowl XLVIII (2014): The matchup between the Seahawks and Denver Broncos is the fourth-most watched Super Bowl ever, having drawn 112.7 million viewers. Peyton Manning threw a league-leading 55 touchdowns that season, leading the No. 1 offense in football. However, the Broncos were no match for Seattle’s stingy defense, getting blown out 43–8.
The Evolution of Viewership Trends
In short, the Super Bowl is becoming bigger than ever before. Since 2010, the Super Bowl has brought in at least 100 million viewers in all but three years.
Super Bowl LIX, which took place last year, became the most-viewed broadcast in history. It broke a record set by the previous year’s Super Bowl.
At this point, the sky is the limit for the NFL. With the league putting a lot of focus into generating fans abroad, there’s no telling how high the ratings for the Super Bowl will look like in 10 years.
It is worth noting that the NFL does have one card up its sleeve to secure a massive rating: Taylor Swift.
Swift is easily the most-requested performer by enthusiasts online and her connection to the Kansas City Chiefs make it seem like a matter of “when” and not “if.”
Read More About the Super Bowl
- How Many People Watch the Super Bowl? Statistics and Ratings History
- How Long is the Super Bowl on Average? Running the Numbers
- What Number is the Super Bowl This Year? A Brief Explainer
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Most-Viewed Super Bowls Through the Years.
