To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Super Bowl XLVII set a new record for the highest overnight rating.  A never before seen power outage combined with a thrilling 49ers comeback attempt that fell just short and a game that went down to the final minute ensured the Super Bowl would set a TV record once again.  The game scored a 48.1 overnight rating as announced by CBS:

The overnight rating raises the bar set by Super Bowl XLVI, which had a 47.8 rating, and does not include the half hour blackout delay and is for the game broadcast only.  Blackout coverage still held a mind-boggling 46.5 rating through the half hour delay.  The broadcast peaked at a 52.9 rating from 10:30-10:45 and a 75 share, meaning over 50% of homes in the top broadcast markets in America and three-fourths of televisions in use were tuned in to the Super Bowl for the closing minutes of the game.  Staggering.

Baltimore was the top market for the game with a 59.6.  Host city New Orleans was a surprising 2nd with a 57.1 rating, followed by Washington DC and Norfolk.  Surprisingly, Ohio produced the best ratings outside the home markets involved with Dayton and Columbus finishing 5th and 6th.  The rest of the Top 10 were Indianapolis, Richmond, Milwaukee, and Jacksonville.  San Francisco was not in the Top 10 markets for the game.

When final viewership numbers are totalled, Super Bowl XLVII should become the most watched program in American television history.  The biggest game in the land has set a new record for each of the last three years with Colts/Saints reaching 106.5 million people, Packers/Steelers being watched by 111.0 million, and Patriots/Giants 111.3 million.  With these huge overnight numbers, expect Super Bowl XLVII to continue the Super Bowl streak for the fourth year in a row.

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