Super Bowl XLV was most-watched show in TV history
Updated at 5:33 p.m.
Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers was the most-watched program in the history of eyes U.S. television history, drawing an audience of 111 162.9 million viewers.
That, according to the Nielsen Company, tops the 106.5 153.4 million who watched last year's Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.
Filed at 12:10 p.m.
By virtue of surpassing last year's championship game, Super Bowl XLV apparently will be the new king of television ratings.
Commissioner Roger Goodell broke the news at a press conference earlier in the morning in Dallas, saying the game is "on track to be the most-watched show in television history. So we're excited about the fan reaction."
The Green Bay Packers' 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers drew an overnight rating that, according to Nielsen Co. surveys of the 56 largest media markets, was 3 percent higher than last year's game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. That game, won by the Saints, drew 106.5 million viewers for the top spot in TV history.
An estimate of the audience is not yet available, but Nielsen said it had a 71 share. That means that more than two-thirds of TVs being watched were tuned to the Super Bowl, the highest share for a Super Bowl since 1982, according to the Associated Press.
By
Cindy Boren
| February 7, 2011; 12:10 PM ET
Categories:
Super Bowl XLV
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I watched it!
Posted by: kerewin1971 | February 7, 2011 3:38 PM | Report abuse
Perhaps with the exception of the Eminem Chrysler and Justin Bieber ads, the commercials during the game were still the same old irritating, mind-dulling productions we see every five minutes of everyday on network tv and cable/sat tv!! Just a steady stream of 20- something, snot-faced clowns insulting our intelligence!
Posted by: johnunion1 | February 7, 2011 4:01 PM | Report abuse
2 of the guests at my home were in the kitchen the whole time and didn't watch any of the game, so the count needs to be modified to 162,899,998
Posted by: randysbailin | February 7, 2011 5:52 PM | Report abuse
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