Sports Media Report
Were the ratings for Super Bowl 50 up or down? Depends on who you ask…
CBS says:
CBS Sports’ Coverage Of Super Bowl 50 Is Most-Watched Program In Television History As 167.0 Million Viewers Watch All Or Part Of Game
The CBS Television Network’s coverage of Super Bowl 50 featuring the DENVER BRONCOS’ 24-10 win over the CAROLINA PANTHERS on Sunday, Feb. 7 (6:39-10:22 PM, ET) was watched in all-or-part* by a record 167.0 million (Persons 2+) viewers, making it the most-watched single broadcast in television history on an all-or-part basis according to Nielsen’s Fast Total Audience Estimates.
The previous high was CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 (164.1 million; Baltimore Ravens-San Francisco 49ers).
The 167.0 million viewers is a television-only number and does not include online and mobile streaming.
*(Watched at least six minutes of the telecast)
Hollywood Reporter and some others say:
TV Ratings: Super Bowl 50 Falls Shy of Record With 111.9 Million Viewers
At this point, not setting a ratings record is essentially a disappointment for the Super Bowl. So Sunday’s Denver Broncos-Carolina Panthers showdown, which aired on CBS, played out under a shroud of lofty expectations — and it will have to settle for No. 3 status.
