Super Bowl Expected to Achieve Highest Viewership on Record

In 2010, the Super Bowl telecast of the New Orleans Saints' victory over the Indianapolis Colts smashed the 27-year-old record set by the finale of MASH to become the most-watched television event in U.S. history, pulling in 106.5 million viewers. Since then, the Super Bowl has consistently drawn in record viewers, with last year's Super Bowl reigning with 111.5 million viewers tuning in to watch the Seattle Seahawks' beat the Denver Broncos.

With the next Super Bowl just around the corner, advertisers with deep pockets are well primed to take advantage of the viewership and ratings jackpot of the most televised live sporting event. Several studies have shown that almost half of viewers tune in not for the game, but for the commercials. Other studies even went as far as to back up this claim, revealing that viewers are increasingly opting to take their bathroom breaks during the game, rather than miss any of the commercials. This growing trend of the commercials being the focal point of the game – and not the other way round, is a boon for advertisers to reach an already receptive and engaged audience actively seeking out the ads.

Whether it is the Super Bowl or other live televised marquee events like the recent Golden Globe Awards or the upcoming Academy Awards, special event viewership continues to command record numbers, further indicating the enduring appeal of live televised events and their holding power on TV advertising.

Brands that use DRTV have long understood the power of TV, whether for marquee events or to reach target audience groups on different occasions. The medium continues to have the unmatched power to drive brand and consumer engagement, and importantly deliver the most measurable response. One more statistic for marketing football fans to think of at game time.

Game on!