Whether you want to chalk it up to gambling, big screen HDTVs, the genius of NFL marketing or something else, the Super Bowl setting viewership records year after year has become the expectation. So much so that NBC is on record saying that it will be a “huge disappointment” if this year’s Super Bowl doesn’t top last year’s 112.2 million viewership average to set another record.
We think that’s a pretty high expectation to have before you even know what teams are going to be in the Super Bowl, but with six of the last seven Super Bowls setting viewership records, maybe it’s not so nuts.
The lone outlier was Ravens/49ers in 2013 with a “measly” 108.4 million. We doubt the advertisers or CBS were crying too much about that. The lengthy power outage in New Orleans hurt the average, but they got more than an extra 30 minutes of TV time averaging more than 100 million people.
This trend of setting new records practically every year is recent and has never happened before to this degree. Super Bowl XX (1986 Bears-Patriots) averaged 92.6 million. That record stood for 10 years until Dallas-Pittsburgh in 1996 averaged 94.1 million. That record stood for 12 years until Super Bowl XLII (2008 Giants-Patriots) drew 97.4 million to begin the current six out of seven streak.
Here’s the historic viewership/household ratings via Nielsen: (here’s the update w/the 2015 numbers included).
| Super Bowl | Date | Network | Household rating | Avg. no. of homes (000s) | Avg. no. of persons 2+ (000s) | Teams (winners in capitals) |
| XLVIII | Feb. 2, 2014 | FOX | 46.7 | 54,079 | 112,191 | SEATTLE vs. Denver |
| XLVII | Feb. 3, 2013 | CBS | 46.3 | 52,881 | 108,414 | BALTIMORE vs. San Francisco |
| XLVI | Feb. 5, 2012 | NBC | 47.1 | 53,910 | 111,346 | NEW YORK GIANTS vs. New England |
| XLV | Feb. 6 2011 | FOX | 46 | 53,282 | 111,041 | GREEN BAY vs. Pittsburgh. |
| XLIV | Feb. 7 2010 | CBS | 45 | 51,728 | 106,476 | NEW ORLEANS vs. Indianapolis |
| XLIII | Feb. 1 2009 | NBC | 42 | 48,139 | 98,732 | Arizona vs. PITTSBURGH |
| XLII | Feb. 3 2008 | FOX | 43.1 | 48,665 | 97,448 | NEW YORK GIANTS vs. New England |
| XLI | Feb. 4 2007 | CBS | 42.6 | 47,505 | 93,184 | Chicago vs. INDIANAOPOLIS |
| XL | Feb. 5 2006 | ABC | 41.6 | 45,867 | 90,745 | Seattle vs. PITTSBURGH |
| XXXIX | Feb. 6 2005 | FOX | 41.1 | 45,081 | 86,072 | Philadelphia vs. NEW ENGLAND |
| XXXVIII | Feb. 1 2004 | CBS | 41.4 | 44,908 | 89,795 | Carolina vs. NEW ENGLAND |
| XXXVII | Jan. 26 2003 | ABC | 40.7 | 43,433 | 88,637 | TAMPA BAY vs. Oakland |
| XXXVI | Feb. 3 2002 | FOX | 40.4 | 42,664 | 86,801 | St. Louis vs. NEW ENGLAND |
| XXXV | Jan. 28 2001 | CBS | 40.4 | 41,270 | 84,335 | NY Giants vs. BALTIMORE |
| XXXIV | Jan. 30 2000 | ABC | 43.3 | 43,618 | 88,465 | ST. LOUIS vs. Tennessee |
| XXXIII | Jan. 31 1999 | FOX | 40.2 | 39,992 | 83,720 | Atlanta vs. DENVER |
| XXXII | Jan. 25 1998 | NBC | 44.5 | 43,630 | 90,000 | GREEN BAY vs. Denver |
| XXXI | Jan. 26 1997 | FOX | 43.3 | 42,000 | 87,870 | GREEN BAY vs. New England |
| XXX | Jan. 28 1996 | NBC | 46 | 44,145 | 94,080 | DALLAS vs. Pittsburgh |
| XXIX | Jan. 29 1995 | ABC | 41.3 | 39,400 | 83,420 | SAN FRANCISCO vs. San Diego |
| XXVIII | Jan. 30 1994 | NBC | 45.5 | 42,860 | 90,000 | DALLAS vs. Buffalo |
| XXVII | Jan. 31 1993 | NBC | 45.1 | 41,990 | 90,990 | DALLAS vs. Buffalo |
| XXVI | Jan. 26 1992 | CBS | 40.3 | 37,120 | 79,590 | WASHINGTON vs. Buffalo |
| XXV | Jan. 27 1991 | ABC | 41.9 | 39,010 | 79,510 | NEW YORK GIANTS vs. Buffalo |
| XXIV | Jan. 28 1990 | CBS | 39 | 35,920 | 73,852 | SAN FRANCISCO vs. Denver |
| XXIII | Jan. 22 1989 | NBC | 43.5 | 39,320 | 81,590 | SAN FRANCISCO vs. Cincinnati |
| XXII | Jan. 31 1988 | ABC | 41.9 | 37,120 | 80,140 | WASHINGTON vs. Denver |
| XXI | Jan. 25 1987 | CBS | 45.8 | 40,030 | 87,190 | NEW YORK GIANTS vs. Denver |
| XX | Jan. 26 1986 | NBC | 48.3 | 41,490 | 92,570 | CHICAGO vs. New England |
| XIX | Jan. 20 1985 | ABC | 46.4 | 39,390 | 85,530 | SAN FRANCISCO vs. Miami |
| XVIII | Jan. 22 1984 | CBS | 46.4 | 38,880 | 77,620 | Washington vs. LA RAIDERS |
| XVII | Jan. 30 1983 | NBC | 48.6 | 40,480 | 81,770 | WASHINGTON vs. Miami |
| XVI | Jan. 24 1982 | CBS | 49.1 | 40,020 | 85,240 | SAN FRANCISCO vs. Cincinnati |
| XV | Jan. 25 1981 | NBC | 44.4 | 34,540 | 68,290 | Philadelphia vs. OAKLAND |
| XIV | Jan. 20 1980 | CBS | 46.3 | 35,330 | 76,240 | LA Rams vs. PITTSBURGH |
| XIII | Jan. 21 1979 | NBC | 47.1 | 35,090 | 74,740 | Dallas vs. PITTSBURGH |
| XII | Jan. 15 1978 | CBS | 47.2 | 34,410 | 78,940 | DALLAS vs. Denver |
| XI | Jan. 09 1977 | NBC | 44.4 | 31,610 | 62,050 | Minnesota vs. OAKLAND |
| X | Jan. 18 1976 | CBS | 42.3 | 29,440 | 57,710 | Dallas vs. PITTSBURGH |
| IX | Jan. 12 1975 | NBC | 42.4 | 29,040 | 56,050 | Minnesota vs. PITTSBURGH |
| VIII | Jan. 13 1974 | CBS | 41.6 | 27,540 | 51,700 | Minnesota vs. MIAMI |
| VII | Jan. 14 1973 | NBC | 42.7 | 27,670 | 53,320 | Washington vs. MIAMI |
| VI | Jan. 16 1972 | CBS | 44.2 | 27,450 | 56,640 | DALLAS vs. Miami |
| V | Jan. 17 1971 | NBC | 39.9 | 23,980 | 46,040 | Dallas vs. BALTIMORE |
| IV | Jan. 11 1970 | CBS | 39.4 | 23,050 | 44,270 | Minnesota vs. KANSAS CITY |
| III | Jan. 12 1969 | NBC | 36 | 20,520 | 41,660 | Baltimore vs. NY JETS |
| II | Jan. 14 1968 | CBS | 36.8 | 20,610 | 39,120 | GREEN BAY vs. Oakland |
| I | Jan. 15 1967 | CBS | 22.6 | 12,410 | 26,750 | GREEN BAY vs. Kansas City |
| I | Jan. 15 1967 | NBC | 18.5 | 10,160 | 24,430 | GREEN BAY vs. Kansas City |