The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles was watched by 113 million viewers, it has been announced.
The numbers make it the most-watched Super Bowl since 2017, a rarity in today’s TV climate.
Viewers still tune into the broadcast and cable networks in their droves for sporting content because, well, who wants to watch those after the fact?
The buzz of watching and reacting to a big game in real-time is far more exciting than if you try to avoid the result.
Rihanna’s excellent halftime show was also a solid option, raking in almost 119 million viewers.
And, even more impressive, it was the second most-watched halftime show in history.
The only higher-watched halftime show was Katy Perry’s in 2015.
Instead of scheduling a drama after the big event, FOX went with the Season 2 premiere of Next Level Chef, which secured 15.5 million viewers.
While the total viewer tally was quite a bit down from recent Super Bowl lead-outs, FOX claims that the episode made it the most-watched cooking series telecast in television history.
Additionally, it ranked as television’s highest-rated and most-watched unscripted sophomore premiere in 11 years.
On top of that, it was the highest-rated entertainment telecast in two years (since CBS’ post-Super Bowl premiere of The Equalizer, 2/7/21).
As expected, Next Level Chef reached series highs thanks to the impressive lead-in, soaring over 200% in both viewers and among adults 18-49.
FOX also now has the three highest-rated entertainment series telecasts this season among adults 18-49 (L+SD):
#1 Next Level Chef (4.9 on 2/12/23)
#2 The Masked Singer (2.2 on 11/24/22)
#3 Accused (2.1 on 1/22/23)
The true test will be whether the increased exposure helps Next Level Chef when it launches in its regularly scheduled slot.
What are your thoughts on the numbers?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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