Wow! Super Bowl Sets Record 123 Million TV Spectators In The US

Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City player Travis Kelce in the LVIII Super Bowl final at Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada, Sunday (photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The final match of the United States Football League (NFL), the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs against San Francisco 49ers set a record 123.4 million television viewers in the US.

CBS parent company Paramount said a total of 123.4 million viewers from all platforms made the Super Bowl the "most watched broadcast in history", up seven percent from last year's game, AFP reported on Tuesday local time.

Paramount added that the NFL match seen by 120 million people is a record for a TV network in the US, namely CBS.

Quoted from Antara, Wednesday, the total audience was just below the Apollo 11 mission landing broadcast in 1969 which was watched by up to 150 million people in the United States via three television networks at the time.

In the final match which was held on Sunday (11/2), Kansas City Chiefs won the LVIII Super Bowl after defeating San Francisco 49ers with 25-22 through the overtime round at the Allegiant Stadium, Nevada.

Kansas City also became the first team to win the Lombardi Cup in a row since the New England Patriots in 2003-2004.

The increase in the number of Super Bowl spectators was driven by a "half time" session featuring US superstars including Usher, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Jermaine Dupri.

Taylor Swift, who was not here to sing, but to provide support for her lover, Travis Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs player, is actually the most watched trailer.

AFP said that the appearance of Swift and Kelce had provided benefits for television ratings because each of their movements made headlines.

Swift's popular presence with the songs "You Belong With Me" and "Shake It Off" also expanded the demographics of NFL audiences, especially reaching new audiences from women and younger generation.

Although the Super Bowl broke the TV record in the United States, the number of spectators was much smaller than the World Cup final, the Olympics opening ceremony, and the royal wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981.

According to FIFA, the 2022 World Cup final as Argentina beat France has seen nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide, through hundreds of channels, AFP said.