Super Bowl 60 is almost here, and fans across the nation and the world are ready for the game’s 60th anniversary. As the grand finale of every season, the game has seen some of the most breathtaking moments in the sport’s history. From the “Helmet Catch” to Tom Brady’s legendary 25-point comeback, the Super Bowl is rarely devoid of drama and action. As such, millions tune in every year to watch the spectacle.
What is the most-watched Super Bowl of all time?
Jalen Hurts Stars in the Most-Watched Super Bowl of All Time
There’s been a consistent trend in the NFL since the Super Bowl era began: viewership has increased on average every year. The mix of digitization and the league’s marketing campaigns has led to more people watching the big game each year over the last four years. While numbers might’ve dipped slightly in the past, viewership has always been on an upward trajectory.
As such, it’s no surprise that the last iteration of the game, Super Bowl 59, was the most-watched throughout history:
- Average viewership was around 127.7 million
- Viewership average peaked at 137.7 million an hour and a half into the three-and-a-half-hour broadcast
- The 127.7 million average marked a 3.2% increase from the previous record (Super Bowl 58)
READ MORE: Super Bowl 60 Predictions: Predicting the Winner, Final Score, MVP, and More
The last time viewership dropped from the previous year was in 2021, when the Super Bowl saw around 6 million fewer viewers than in 2020. The two biggest factors in this are said to be the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that the 2021 edition was a blowout (Buccaneers 31 – 9 Chiefs).
As for the record holder, Super Bowl 59 featured the Philadelphia Eagles dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and company ended the Chiefs’ dreams of becoming the first team in NFL history to three-peat the grand finale.
Kansas City powered its way through the regular season on the back of a dominant defense in 2024. But while they picked their way through the postseason, a well-rounded Eagles squad waited in the Super Bowl.
Hurts took the defending champions to task, winning the MVP award with a performance that included 221 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also ran for a game-leading 72 yards and a score on 11 carries.
Will Super Bowl 60 Set a New Viewership Record?
The odds seem to favor the fact that Super Bowl 59’s 127.7 million viewers will be exceeded this Sunday.
It took a global pandemic to cause a dip in the numbers in 2021, and the millions the league spends on marketing every year have led to viewership increasing in all of the last four seasons.
Given the average growth in Super Bowl audiences over the last four years, it wouldn’t be surprising if the big game averages around 131 million viewers this Sunday.
