Super Bowl LVIII biggest US audience since Moon landing
February 13, 2024
Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched TV broadcast in the US since the Moon landing in 1969.
The February 11th showdown, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, averaged 123.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings released by CBS.
The event in Las Vegas surpassed the previous most-watched Super Bowl in history, a record set in 2023 when the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in front of 115 million viewers. The audience for Super Bowl LVIII was so large that it approached the all-time most watched television broadcast set in July 1969, when an estimated 125 to 150 million viewers watched the Apollo 11 land on the Moon.
The ‘Taylor Swift effect’ is believed to have played a major part in the huge audience interest. The celebrated singer was in attendance to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. There was much speculation in the build-up to the event over whether Swift would make it back in time from Tokyo, where she had been performing on tour. The game was also supported by a half-time performace from R&B star Usher.
In the US, the game aired on CBS and the Paramount+ streaming platform, and was also simulcast in Spanish on Univision, as well as a kids-centric telecast on Nickelodeon. CBS pulled the lion’s share of the audience with an estimated 112 million viewers.
According to Nielsen, a record 202.4 million people watched at least part of the game – but the data does not include people who watched in public spaces such as bars.