Only one more Sunday of NFL left, will it be the biggest Sunday ever in terms of viewership? That can’t be ruled out since going back to 2008 when the Giants ended the Patriots’ run at a perfect season, seven of the last eight Super Bowls have set viewership records.
While for most events the teams involved and closeness of game typically matter a lot, it seems the Super Bowl is immune to that. Last year’s close-until-the-very-end game set a viewership record, but a 43-8 blowout the year earlier also set a viewership record.
Of course, this marks the 20th anniversary of the last time “America’s Team,” to the chagrin of Dallas Cowboys’ fans and TV network executives, were in a Super Bowl. Cowboys-Steelers in 1996 set a viewership record that year with just over 94 million viewers — a record that stood for more than a decade until Giants-Patriots in 2008.
Super Bowl TV ratings 1967-2015:
| Super Bowl | Date | Network | Household rating | Avg. no. of homes (000s) | Avg. no. of persons 2+ (000s) | Teams (winners in capitals) |
| XLIX | 1-Feb-15 | NBC | 47.5 | 114,442 | NEW ENGLAND vs. Seattle | |
| 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 |