Advanced Television

Research: 65% of US plans to watch Super Bowl LIX

February 5, 2025

Attest, a New York-based consumer research platform, has published research on how Americans plan to tune-in to Super Bowl LIX on February 9th.
Looking back, last year’s Super Bowl gained widespread attention for more than just football, especially with pop star Taylor Swift’s attendance and potential impact on viewership, while online conversations swirled about the NFL being scripted or pre-determined. All this fanfare and controversy considered, what are US consumers hoping (and not hoping) this game day will bring them?

Americans Tuning in for Love of the Game

The research finds most Americans are either ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ (65 per cent) planning to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles go head-to-head.

  • Feelings on the NFL being scripted: The data finds that a third of Americans feel the games are definitely’ or ‘probably’ rigged (at 33 per cent), versus 40 per cent who disagree and 26 per cent who feel ‘unsure’, meaning the draw of the most anticipated game of the year is reigning supreme over allegations and theories of the League being scripted.
  • Genuine excitement about the game, more than the razzle dazzle: In further good news for the NFL, the top reason cited for tuning in this year is excitement for watching the game itself (49 per cent), followed by the Super Bowl commercials (35 per cent), and the halftime show and performances (34 per cent).
  • The Swift impact is overestimated, most are also not into the half-time show: Despite the media blitz last year, those polled shared Swift’s attendance has little effect on their viewing plans – 27 per cent will be watching regardless of her being there, while a further 38 per cent are not excited by her attendance at all. The same goes for rapper Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show – most (43 per cent) are ‘neither more nor less excited’ to tune-in since he was booked.

Americans Watching from the Comfort of Their Couch

The research also finds the majority Americans (93 per cent) plan to forgo public places like bars or restaurants to instead watch the game at home with members of their household only (45 per cent) or alone (16 per cent) or at a Super Bowl Party hosted at a friend’s or family member’s house (30 per cent).

This means that the Super Bowl will be largely watched via the trusty home television set, with 47 per cent planning to watch the game on a cable TV channel and 39 per cent planning to stream it. Only 1.5 per cent are willing to forgo the excitement of the live game by recording it and watching it later.

The Second Reason Americans are Tuning In? Super Bowl Ads

In great news for brands, behind excitement for the game itself (49 per cent), Americans are most excited to tune in to watch Super Bowl ads (35 per cent). This means that those who invested in the notoriously expensive ad space will likely get the ROI on their spend.

But how exactly are Americans hoping the ads will make them feel? After a highly divisive election, Americans are ready to take a day off from politics and laugh. When it comes to the kinds of ads they want to see at this year’s Super Bowl, the vast majority (56 per cent) want ads to be humorous, far behind are those with no preference (13 per cent) and those seeking motivational (11 per cent) ads.

Outside of brand messaging, celebrity-driven ads are what most interests this year’s Super Bowl audience (at 40 per cent). This is followed by viewers having an interest in ads that give them a chance to save money or win something, such as commercials that offer exclusive discount codes (30 per cent) and commercials that offer viewer contests with cash prizes / sweepstakes (27 per cent).

This is in line with a more light-hearted tone for this year’s game, with 69 per cent saying they don’t like or are indifferent to ads of a political nature during the game. And when it comes to big brand recognition, Budweiser takes home the trophy as the number one brand that consumers most associate with Super Bowl advertisements, followed by Pepsi and Nike.

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research

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