While this year’s Super Bowl wasn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing and it didn’t have the drama at the wire like last year, it still managed to average the second-highest overnight rating in the Big Game’s history.
Super Bowl 50 received an average 49.0/73 rating for Carolina-Denver. That’s down from last year’s record of 49.7/72 when the game aired on NBC. Austin Karp, managing editor of Sports Business Daily gives us a perspective of Super Bowl 50’s overnight stands as compared to other recent games:
Super Bowl overnight ratings trend: 2016 (49.0), 2015 (49.7), 2014 (47.6), 2013 (48.1), 2012 (47.8), 2011 (47.9), 2010 (46.4), 2009 (42.1)
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) February 8, 2016
You can see 50 is well above the past Super Bowls’ overnights except for XLIX. As one can expect, the home markets of Charlotte and Denver did well:
More Super Bowl ratings numbers: Charlotte had a 55.9 overnight, and Denver had a 53.9.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) February 8, 2016
But they weren’t 1-2 nor even in the top five local markets:
Top 5 Super Bowl 50 TV markets: Nashville (57.7), Albuquerque (56.9), Norfolk (56.8), Greensboro (56.7), Greenville (56.6).
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) February 8, 2016
The Super Bowl is one event where the home markets won’t automatically be ranked one and two as interest in the game is always high.
The final numbers will be adjusted and come out later today. Even though CBS did not set a record overnight rating, it doesn’t mean it won’t be able to set a record when the final numbers are released by Nielsen.
The game was hard to watch, but it doesn’t mean that the audience dropped off like flies so when all is said and done, CBS still has a chance to see some very big numbers at the end of the day. When the numbers are released, we’ll bring them to you.
Remember, last year’s Super Bowl set a record viewership with 114.4 million. Can CBS tie or beat it? We shall see.
UPDATE: Super Bowl 50 fell short of breaking the all-time record with 111.9 million viewers, the third most-watched event in the history of American television. Viewership peaked with 115.5 million at 8:30 PM ET, which would have been the halftime show.
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.