Super Bowl Viewership Is Misleading, Worse Than Reports Say

The NFL and NBC say Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seahawks averaged 124.9 million viewers, making it the second most-watched Super Bowl ever, behind last year’s Chiefs-Eagles game.

That's true. Sort of.

Before the start of the season, Nielsen updated its measurement methodology to a system called Big Data + Panel, combining digital device data with its traditional meter panel. The change resulted in notable increases in average viewership, particularly in sports.

In August, Sports Business Journal reported the new system was expected to increase live sports viewership estimates by 5% to 8%. For reference, the NFL says its regular-season averages were up 10% overall.

This would mean the drop from last year's Super Bowl average of 127.7 million to this year's 124.9 million is larger than the NFL and NBC acknowledge. For a rough estimate, the drop is probably closer to 7% to 10% than the 2% the simple math suggests.

To be clear, this season’s number may be more accurate than last season’s. The point of the new methodology is to provide more accurate estimates. But that would just mean last season’s Super Bowl was undercounted.

Seattle Seahawks' players celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

As for the reason for the decline, the game itself was poor. Seattle was up by two scores for most of the game, and there was limited offense through three quarters. And while last year's matchup was also not competitive — the Eagles won 40-22 — it featured Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The Chiefs were also chasing the first-ever three-peat in the Super Bowl era.

This year's game featured Drake Maye and Sam Darnold and was widely viewed as the weakest quarterback matchup in at least a decade.

It turns out that even the NFL is not entirely matchup-proof. ESPN, which will air its first Super Bowl next season, would welcome a Chiefs bounce-back.

Then there was the halftime show.

Bad Bunny performs during halftime of Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

According to Variety, Bad Bunny’s performance averaged 128.2 million viewers, down about five million from Kendrick Lamar’s 133.5 million last year. That's a significant drop.

For reference, Turning Point's alternative halftime broadcast drew around 7 million live concurrent viewers and 20 million viewers in the first 12 hours.

Note: YouTube views are not the same as television viewership.

All in all, this is a disappointing number for the NFL and NBC. And in the bigger picture, it was a rough showcase for the league.