The Super Bowl with the highest ratings ever was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which showcased the upstart 49er’s and Bill Walsh’s west coast offense against the Cincinnati Bengals (49.1%) . The Super Bowl that was the most watched ever was last year’s Colts Bear Showdown in which 93 million Americans tuned in (42%).
While at some I will make a prediction that the Patriots will win by 10 points, my prediction for now is that this will be the most watched Super Bowl ever and potentially the only television program ever to have over 100 million US viewers.
First let’s start the with the obvious.
– This is two big time media markets who have displaced fans all over the country
– The Patriots quest to go undefeated may bring in some extra viewers who ordinarily wouldn’t care
– The initial Giants vs Pats game less than a month ago was entertaining, fast paced, and hotly contested
Now for some things that you may have not considered.
– The initial Giants vs Pats showdown was aired on NBC and CBS in addition to its broadcast on the NFL network meaning it captured a much larger audience than any other game on its first go around.
– You can bet that a higher percentage of Mississippi fans tune in to see if their former star can pull off the upset.
– Miami fans also have a rooting interest as the Patriots are trying to join them as undefeated Super Bowl Champions
– The SuperBowl is being played in the 6th most populated US metro area (Phoenix/Glendale) and will likely capture a larger audience in that area opposed to an area like Jacksonville, New Orleans, etc
– The US population has grown in addition to people who will watch anything in HD because the allure of their new HD TV has not worn off yet.
– Tom Petty isn’t a too shabby halftime show.
– BenKoo.com fans will tune it to to analyze candidates for commercial of the week.
– the people who don’t watch the Super Bowl will realize that they are somewhat wierd, out of touch with mainstream culture, and somewhat Unamerican and will make a better effort to latch onto someone else’s Super Bowl Sunday’s plans.
Time will tell…….
