What's happened
The Super Bowl drew an average of 124.9 million viewers, slightly below last year's 127.7 million, according to Nielsen. The halftime show featuring Bad Bunny attracted 128.2 million viewers, ranking as the fourth most-watched halftime. Changes in Nielsen's ratings methodology may have influenced these figures.
What's behind the headline?
The slight decline in Super Bowl viewership compared to last year may reflect shifting viewer habits and the impact of Nielsen's updated measurement methods. The record-breaking Spanish-language viewership for Telemundo highlights the growing importance of diverse audiences. The high viewership for Bad Bunny's halftime show underscores the influence of global pop stars on sports broadcasting. These figures suggest that while traditional viewership may fluctuate, the overall audience engagement remains strong, especially among younger and diverse demographics. The ratings change also indicates a broader trend of measuring out-of-home viewing more accurately, which could reshape how broadcasters evaluate success in future events.
What the papers say
Business Insider UK reports that NBC's broadcast drew an average of 124.9 million viewers, with a peak during Bad Bunny’s halftime show reaching 4.9 million. NBC Sports highlighted the record Spanish-language viewership on Telemundo, with 3.3 million viewers, and noted that overall viewership was 128.2 million during Bad Bunny's performance. AP News confirms the viewership figures and compares them to last year's game, noting a slight shortfall. The Independent echoes these findings, emphasizing the decline from last year's 127.7 million viewers and the significance of Bad Bunny's performance as the fourth most-watched halftime show in history.
How we got here
This year's Super Bowl was broadcast across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, with viewership figures affected by recent changes in Nielsen’s ratings calculations, which now better account for out-of-home viewing. Last year's game on Fox drew more viewers, and the halftime show has historically been a major draw, with this year's performance by Bad Bunny ranking fourth in viewership.
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