Super Bowl LIX reached record-breaking viewership Sunday night, averaging 126 million viewers and cementing its title as the most-watched Super Bowl ever.
The early data figures from Nielsen and Fox account for viewers across a series of platforms including Fox, Fox Deportes, Tubi, Telemundo and NFL digital sites, and suggest roughly a 2 percent increase from last year’s viewership.
Last year, 123.7 million tuned into the Super Bowl, per The Hollywood Reporter, with Sunday’s game subsequently marking the event’s biggest audience ever for a second year in a row.
ADVERTISEMENT
Moreover, Fox reports that viewership on Sunday reached an all-time high during the game’s second quarter between 8 and 8:15 p.m. ET with an average of 135.7 million viewers.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles squaring off at the Super Bowl for a second time heavily contributed to the game’s hype this year, with the Eagles ultimately avenging their 2023 loss and taking the win Sunday.
Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was also one of the most anticipated events of the night after his triumphant 2024 that saw him dominating over the cultural zeitgeist through his Drake diss track “Not Like Us” and album GNX.
Lamar was also the first solo rapper to ever headline the halftime show, contributing to the excitement (and MAGA pearl-clutching) surrounding his performance.
Elsewhere, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce drew eyes for a second year in a row—with some boo’s making an appearance for this round around the dome—and President Donald Trump also caused a media stir Sunday by becoming the first president in history to attend the Super Bowl.
