Tuesday, February 3, 2015

A look at the numbers: Super Bowl XLIX broadcast

By Zachary Baru

If you though the only records broken during Super Bowl XLIX came from on the field, think again.  Sunday night was a record-breaking night off the field with 114.4 million viewers nationwide, the most ever for a television program in the U.S. according to Nielsen.

After two weeks of nothing but numbers and analysis leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, why not look at just a few more - only these can't be worked into your fantasy team next season.  Below is a look at the numbers from Sunday's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX on NBC, a broadcast that went multi-platform including television, internet, and mobile.  With the game being broadcast on the NBC Sports Live Extra app, fans had the chance to watch the game anywhere they went.  And fans sure came out in large numbers to do so, giving NBC an earth-shattering rating on televison, but also the second screen as well.

U.S Viewers:
114.4 million

Streaming Viewers:
1.3 million

Rating:
49.7

Change From 2014 Rating:
+4 percent

Share:
72

Top Local Ratings:
1. 61.0 (Boston)
2. 55.7 (New Orleans)
3. 55.6 (Phoenix)
T-4. 55.0 (Detroit)
T-4. 55.0 (Norfolk)

Commercials Shown:
66

Cost for 30 Second Commercial:
$4.5 million

Facebook Posts, Likes and Comments Relating to Game:
265 million

Tweets Relating to Game/Halftime Show:
28 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research, The Wall Street Journal, SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, NBC News, Detroit Free Press, CNBC

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl XLIX sets U.S. ratings record

By Zachary Baru

There is no doubt that the much awaited Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl XLIX lived up to its billing, especially since preliminary figures show the telecast had the largest U.S. television audience, according to Nielsen.

Sunday's Super Bowl was viewed by 114.4 million people on NBC, topping last year's Super Bowl between Seattle and Denver which was seen by 112.2 million viewers on FOX.  As sports networks continue to compete in the growing area of digital content, NBC made this year's Super Bowl available on the NBC Sports Live Extra app.  Streaming for the coverage totaled 1.3 million users, according to NBC.

As for the rating, Sunday's Super Bowl earned a 49.7, meaning 49 percent of households with a television watched the program.  This year's rating was up 4 percent from last year's 47.6 rating. In the Boston market, the game drew a 61.0 local rating.

This year's game also earned a 72 share, as 72 percent of televisions in use were tuned to the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

In a game full of star power from both teams, and a match-up consisting of some of the very best players in the game from both sides of the field, the strong ratings were no surprise.  Time will only tell how long this record rating will last, as four of the last five Super Bowls have delivered a new viewing record.

Top Super Bowl XLIX Local Ratings:
1. 61.0 (Boston)
2. 55.7 (New Orleans)
3. 55.6 (Phoenix)
T-4. 55.0 (Detroit)
T-4. 55.0 (Norfolk)
  
Source: Nielsen Media Research, The Wall Street Journal, SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, NBC News, Detroit Free Press

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.