Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday was a game with its fair share of storylines heading into the highly anticipated matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Subsequently, this led to a historic number of viewers for the big game.
CBS released its viewership numbers on Monday for the Super Bowl, and while they were expected to be big, they were perhaps even better than the company could have imagined.
An average of 120 million viewers tuned into the game on CBS, with an average of 123.4 watching across all platforms, including Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision, CBS Sports, and NFL+.
Despite some of the issues with the quality of the Paramount+ broadcast, the streaming service also generated a record-high audience for the telecast.
The 123.4 million average viewers represent a seven-percent increase from Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast last year. That game generated 115.1 million average viewers, which was the previous high for a Super Bowl.
In total, 202.4 million viewers tuned into the game at some point. This ranks as the highest total audience of any program in history, unseating Super Bowl LVII in total viewers as well, which generated a total of 172 million viewers.
CBS Sports' presentation of Super Bowl LVIII is the most-watched telecast in history with a total audience delivery of 123.4 million average viewers across platforms.
Link to Release: https://t.co/DHc9XPBwSn pic.twitter.com/GR3w2hbBwn
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) February 13, 2024
When you look at all of the factors heading into the game, the record viewership numbers for CBS certainly make sense.
Not only do you have Taylor Swift’s presence at the game, which undoubtedly helps ratings, but you also have two of the most popular players in all of football taking part in the game: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Add in a prestigious organization with an avid fanbase on the other side with the 49ers, and you have a recipe for success on your hands if you are CBS, not to mention the overall entertainment of the actual game on the field with the game going to overtime.
The alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon which featured a more family-friendly version of the game, as well as viewers being able to stream the game on Paramount+ also certainly factored into the historic viewership numbers. At the end of the day, everyone loves options, and CBS presented several different options to view this game.
If you are CBS, you obviously have to be thrilled with these viewership numbers, which cap off what was a record year for the company in the regular season as well.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.