TV By The Numbers has the preliminary numbers for Super Bowl XLV, and they are making Fox executives smile.
“Super Bowl XLV earned a 47.9/71 metered market rating/share last night on FOX, tying it with Super Bowl XXI in 1987 as the highest-rated ever in the metered markets,” Robert Seidman reports. “FOX’s 47.9/71 is +3 percent better than the 46.4/68 posted a year ago.”
Pittsburgh and Milwaukee both posted 59.7 ratings, the second-highest in a single market, and large markets around the country contributed huge numbers.
New York delivered a 42.6/63 last night, the best rating in New York for a non-Giants Super Bowl in 28 years. Los Angeles notched a 40.1/71, their best in 13 years for a non-Rams or Raiders Super Bowl. Chicago posted a 51.4/73, which actually beat the rating for the Bears in Super Bowl XLI (50.2) and is the best ever in the market for a non-Bears Super Bowl.
Now if only the quality of the broadcast matched the massive viewing audience…