New York, February 13 — The Super Bowl was watched by a record 123.4 million people, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime, according to the game’s announcer.
“CBS Sports’ coverage… delivered the most-watched telecast in history with a total audience delivery of 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms,” the network’s parent company Paramount said in a statement late last night.
According to Nielsen, viewership was “up 7 per cent vs. last year’s Super Bowl which was the previous record (115.1 million)… 202.4 million watched all or part of Super Bowl LVIII across networks.”
According to Paramount, 120 million people watched the NFL championship game on CBS alone, which is a record for a single US network.
Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ quarterback, found Mecole Hardman in the end zone deep into overtime, sealing a thrilling victory in the longest Super Bowl in history.
The victory makes Kansas City the first club to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies since the New England Patriots in 2003-2004, establishing the franchise’s status as the NFL’s newest dynasty.
Taylor Swift was the night’s most-watched fan, cheering on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, from a luxury box alongside a slew of celebrity friends, including rapper Ice Spice.
Swift’s connection with flamboyant star Kelce has boosted television ratings, with her every move generating headlines.
Beyonce was also in attendance with her hip-hop billionaire husband Jay-Z, and she unveiled a new album during a commercial for telecoms giant Verizon in which she repeatedly attempts to “break the internet.” — AFP
