The NFL is almost as big as the moon.
With Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Usher and Alicia Keys all taking part in a Super Bowl LVIII extravaganza in Las Vegas, the NFL set an all-time broadcast record.
An average of 123.4 million viewers watched the Super Bowl, which set a new high.
The mark was so high lofty that it approached the all-time most-watched TV event in American history, which was the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, when an estimated 125 million to 150 million united to view the space race.
More than 202 million viewers tuned in at some point to watch Mahomes and Kelce win another Super Bowl, as the Kansas City Chiefs rallied to edge the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime inside Allegiant Stadium.
The Swift and Vegas factors clearly played a part in spreading the NFL’s reach, which saw the league utilize a variety of viewing platforms (CBS, Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision, CBS Sports, NFL+) to set an all-time record.
Super Bowl LVIII viewership had a remarkable 7 percent increase over last year’s game.
The instant classic between the Chiefs and 49ers was only the second overtime Super Bowl in history, and became the longest Super Bowl since the game began in 1967.
“I was managing my expectations, but I had a bit of hope that it would happen,” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said. “I can’t imagine a Super Bowl any better or more exciting than this.”
The NFL playoffs were a huge hit overall for the 2023 season.
Viewership records were set in the postseason games leading to the Super Bowl, which was held in Las Vegas for the first time.
With The Sphere maximizing the NFL’s promotional reach in the city and Swift’s plane being followed from Japan back to the United States, the league spent two weeks taking over the sports landscape.
San Francisco led 10-0 early but Kansas City rallied as the 49ers kept making mistakes.
Mahomes took over in OT, which featured San Francisco failing to understand key overtime rules.
Kansas City ended up with a dynasty, Mahomes drew Michael Jordan comparisons, and the NFL produced a game that approached moon-like TV ratings to create history.