On Sunday, Super Bowl LVIII delivered an unprecedented milestone in television history, captivating a massive audience with its thrilling gameplay. The Kansas City Chiefs' triumph over the San Francisco 49ers in a gripping match resulted in the largest number of total-viewer ratings ever recorded. CBS, the network airing the event, attracted an astounding average of 120 million viewers—an achievement that surpasses any previous telecast.
The impressive viewership numbers were further augmented by simulcasts on various platforms, such as Nickelodeon, Univision, and Paramount+. Including these digital platforms, the total viewership for the Super Bowl reached an astonishing 123.4 million people. This extraordinary figure firmly establishes the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast as the most-watched in American television history, as measured by Nielsen.
CBS proudly announced that their telecast of the game was the most streamed Super Bowl ever. Paramount+ contributed to the overall 120 million viewer count, as both networks showcased the same feed. Univision, the Spanish-language broadcaster, saw a record-breaking audience of approximately 2.2 million viewers—a remarkable achievement for a Super Bowl broadcast in Spanish. Nickelodeon's entertaining SpongeBob-themed alternate telecast attracted an impressive audience of 1.2 million viewers. These statistics are based on time zone-adjusted fast national ratings from Nielsen for linear telecasts, along with figures from Adobe Analytics for streaming.
While final numbers and detailed demographic breakdowns will be available on Tuesday morning, it is already clear that Super Bowl LVIII has set a new standard of viewership. The game witnessed a remarkable 7% increase in viewership compared to last year's Super Bowl, which drew 115.1 million viewers for Fox. It is worth noting that this figure was revised from an initial count of 113.1 million. Prior to Super Bowl LVIII, last year's game held the official record as the most-watched broadcast in U.S. television history.
However, it is important to mention that Nielsen did not include out-of-home ratings in its calculations until 2021. Thus, it is possible that several previous Super Bowls, including those from 2013 to 2016, would have surpassed the record had out-of-home viewing been factored in. Looking even further back in time, estimates for the legendary Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969—across ABC, CBS, and NBC—range from 125 million to an astounding 150 million viewers. Remarkably, the upper end of that estimate accounts for almost three-quarters of the entire U.S. population at that time. It is important to clarify, however, that these figures are not official counts, but rather estimates.
While the Super Bowl LVIII delivered an unparalleled spectacle for football enthusiasts, other historic television events have garnered enormous viewership as well. Claiming the record for the largest household rating is the final episode of M*A*S*H, which aired in February 1983. The captivating finale captivated an astonishing 60.2% of all TV homes—an impressive testament to the show's enduring popularity.
The Super Bowl remains a cultural phenomenon, uniting millions of viewers with its high-stakes competition and captivating halftime performances. As the event continues to break viewership records year after year, the anticipation for future Super Bowls only grows. With the advent of new streaming platforms and the ever-increasing global reach of this iconic sporting event, it is likely that these spectacular viewership figures will continue to soar to new heights.
