or


[02/06/12 - 11:55 AM]
Super Bowl XLVI Is Most-Watched Television Show in U.S. History
NBC further spins the numbers for Sunday, February 5 (updated with time zone-adjusted fast nationals).

[via press release from NBC]

SUPER BOWL XLVI IS MOST-WATCHED TELEVISION SHOW IN U.S. HISTORY

111.3 Million Watch Super Bowl XLVI, Tops Last Year's Super Bowl (111.0 Million)

47.0 Household Rating is Best in 26 Years, Since 48.3 for Super Bowl XX

40.5 Adult 18-49 Rating is Best for a Super Bowl in 16 Years

14% Higher Than Last Giants-Patriots Super Bowl in 2008

12% Higher Than Last NBC Super Bowl in 2009

7th Straight Year Super Bowl Audience Increases

INDIANAPOLIS - Feb. 6, 2012 - Super Bowl XLVI is the most-watched television program in U.S. history and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, according to fast national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The game, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 21-17, was seen by a record 111.3 million viewers (6:31-9:58 p.m. ET), topping last year's 111.0 for Super Bowl XLV on Fox and is the biggest audience to watch a television program in U.S. history.

MOST-WATCHED PROGRAMS IN U.S. TELEVISION HISTORY
1. 111.3 Million - Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (Last Night's Game)
2. 111.0 Million - Super Bowl XLV, Fox
3. 106.5 Million - Super Bowl XLIV, CBS
4. 106.0 Million - M.A.S.H. Finale, CBS
5. 98.7 Million - Super Bowl XLIII, NBC

HIGHEST-RATED SUPER BOWL IN 26 YEARS: The game earned a 47.0 rating and a 71 share, a gain of two percent from last year's 46.0/69 for Super Bowl XLV and is the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1983 (Bears-Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 48.3/70). The 47.0 rating is the 6th highest in Super Bowl history.

· The game drew a 40.5 rating in the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demographic, the highest for a Super Bowl in 15 years (41.2 for Super Bowl XXX on Jan. 28, 1996)

HIGEST-RATED SUPER BOWLS:
1. 49.1/73 - Super Bowl XVI, CBS
2. 48.6/69 - Super Bowl XVII, NBC
3. 48.3/70 - Super Bowl XX, NBC
4. 47.2/67 - Super Bowl XII, CBS
5. 47.1/74 - Super Bowl XIII, NBC
6. 47.0/71 - Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (Last Night's Game)
T7. 46.4/71 - Super Bowl XVIII, CBS
T7. 46.4/63 - Super Bowl XIX, ABC
9. 46.3/67 - Super Bowl XIV, CBS
10. 46.0/69 - Super Bowl XLV, Fox

VIEWERSHIP GROWS THROUGHOUT THE GAME: The viewership and rating grew throughout the game and peaked at a 117.7 million viewers and a 50.7/72, respectively, from 9:30-9:58 p.m. ET in the fourth quarter when Eli Manning led the Giants on a game-winning drive.
HALF HOUR VIEWERSHIP (Times ET):
6:31-7, 99.2 million
7-7:30, 107.9 million
7:30-8, 110.9 million
8-8:30, 114.0 million
8:30-9, 114.3 million
9-9:30, 115.4 million
9:30-9:58, 117.7 million

HALF HOUR RATINGS (Times ET):
6:31-7, 42.5/69
7-7:30, 45.5/71
7:30-8, 46.4/71
8-8:30, 47.4/70
8:30-9, 47.7/70
9-9:30, 48.9/70
9:30-9:58, 50.7/72

HALFTIME SHOW FEATURING MADONNA IS MOST-WATCHED EVER: The halftime performance by Madonna (8-8:30), was seen by 114.0 million viewers, nearly four million more than last year's performance featuring the Black Eyed Peas (110.3 million), and is the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show featuring entertainment ever (dating back to 1991).

· The halftime viewership 18.3 million more than NBC's last Super Bowl with Bruce Springsteen (95.7 million).

· The halftime show earned a 47.4 household rating, six percent higher than last year (44.7/68) and is the highest-rated halftime show featuring entertainment ever.

"THE VOICE" DELIVERS HUGE NUMBERS: The season two premiere of "The Voice" that followed the Super Bowl averaged a 16.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 37.6 million viewers overall, making it the highest-rated entertainment program in 18-49 in six years, since ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" post-Super Bowl telecast on February 5, 2006 (16.5). "The Voice" is up versus last year's post-Super Bowl telecast of "Glee" by 47 percent in 18-49 (16.3 vs. 11.1) and up one percent versus the 2010 post-Super Bowl telecast of "Undercover Boss" (16.3 vs. 16.2).

BOSTON SETS LOCAL MARKET RECORD: The rating in Boston was the best ever for an NFL game in that market (56.7/81) topping the previous high of 56.1/78 for Super Bowl XXXVI (56.1/78 on Fox).

· The New York market registered a 49.7/74, the second-highest overnight for an NFL game in that market, trailing only the 53.4/72 for Super Bowl XXI, the Giants first-ever Super Bowl. By comparison, New York registered a 44.9/67 for Super Bowl XLII, the last time they were in the big game.

· The host market of Indianapolis registered a 56.4/79 overnight rating, the second-best overnight for a host market only trailing Jacksonville (58.9/77) for Super Bowl XXXIX).

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR SUPER BOWL XLVI:
1. Boston, 56.7/81
2. Indianapolis, 56.4/79
3. Norfolk, 54.2/73
4. Columbus, 54.1/72
5. New Orleans, 54.0/72
T6. Nashville, 53.5/74
T6. Jacksonville, 53.5/70
8. Buffalo, 52.9/72
9. Kansas City, 52.1/73
10. Milwaukee, 52.0/73
*New York ranked 18th with a 49.7/74





  [february 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· VOICE, THE (NBC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[08/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 27
"Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," "Elle," and "Reacher" led all original series worldwide.

[08/05/26 - 07:03 AM]
Red Sox-Dodgers Averages 3.8 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock, Marking First Time "Sunday Night Baseball" Has Topped 3 Million Viewers in Three Straight Games
Boston defeated Los Angeles, 8-4, this past Sunday night with a TAD of 3.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

[08/04/26 - 02:59 PM]
ESPN Delivers Its Second Most-Watched Regular Season WNBA Game Ever!
The Indiana Fever-Minnesota Lynx matchup averaged 2.5 million viewers on ABC on Sunday, August 2.

[08/04/26 - 02:29 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers Second Best Performance This Season with 2.834 Million Viewers
Coverage reached a peak audience of 3,222,000 viewers from 9:15-9:30 PM ET.

[08/04/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 27 - The Celebration Continues as Kevin Hart's "72 Hours" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare" launched at the top of the English TV list with 18.2 million views.

[08/03/26 - 11:03 AM]
Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding Score Best Audience in a Year with Million-Dollar Win on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
The July 29 episode rose from last week's season premiere with 4.22 million viewers.

[07/31/26 - 01:03 PM]
ABC News Wins Across Late Night, Sunday Morning and Friday Night in Total Viewers and Key Adult Demos
Season to date, "Nightline" is up in Total Viewers versus the same point last season.

[07/29/26 - 12:03 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 20
"Ride or Die," "Elle," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," and "See You at Work Tomorrow!" led all original series worldwide.

[07/28/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 20 - Kevin Hart's "72 Hours" Parties to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"I Will Find You" found its way back to the top spot of the English TV list, with 7.3 million views.

[07/27/26 - 10:59 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Scores Robust Year-Over-Year Gains with Festive Holiday Week
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for more than three years (179 consecutive weeks) across all key measures.

[07/23/26 - 04:01 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 on Sunday Morning, Friday Night and Late Night
"20/20" was up over the previous week in all key target demos and improved year to year across the board.

[07/23/26 - 01:00 PM]
"Big Brother" Premiere Week Up +14% from Last Season
In its first week (episodes airing July 9, 12 and 15), "Big Brother" live plus 3-day total multiplatform viewership averaged 4.96 million viewers.

[07/22/26 - 01:19 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 13
"Ride or Die," "Elle," "Off Campus," "Every Year After," and "Clarkson's Farm" led all original series worldwide.

[07/22/26 - 12:37 PM]
Kansas City, Boston and Austin Lead the Way as Top Local Markets for FIFA World Cup 2026 on FOX and FS1
San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta, St. Louis, Providence, and West Palm Beach round out the top 10.

[07/22/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NBA Summer League Championship Game Since 2017
The Golden State Warriors' victory over the Memphis Grizzlies averaged 676,000 viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.