Super Bowl Breaks TV Records, Again
The NFL is a very, very powerful product.
Even though the Super Bowl's 43-8 final score proved to be an uneventful game, we all watched. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.
Super 48 at MetLife Stadium set the record for the most-watched television event in U.S. history and this is becoming a pattern too. Over 111 million views were tuned in and it's the fourth time in five years that the Super Bowl has broken the viewing record.
Fox Sports said that they were "a little surprised" that the numbers remained so high even though the Seahawks clearly dominated throughout but gave an explanation to the extraordinary ratings.
"Big-event television is a great way for people to have a communal event, to talk about it socially and to talk about it as a group," said Bill Wanger, who is the executive VP for Fox Sports.
It's not just the game that entertains us any more - it's social media. The Super Bowl also broke records on Twitter, generating almost 25 million tweets, making it the most tweeted LIVE event TV has seen.
So what does all this mean? At some point in the future, get ready for an NFL team in Europe, an 18-game season and extended playoffs. Why? Because we'll all watch. No matter the score.
The NFL sees it and if there's a chance for the most popular professional sports organization in the US to make some money? They do it.
The game also set standards for the most-streamed sports event online and, with 24.9 million tweets, the biggest U.S. live TV event on Twitter.