Chiefs-Bucs Hits Big in Boston

Absence apparently made Boston fans’ hearts grow fonder for Tom Brady.

This year’s Super Bowl rating in Boston was higher than all but one of Tom Brady’s nine title games as a Patriot.

Boston posted a 57.6 TV rating, beating out the 52.3 rating from his new hometown fanbase in Tampa Bay.

Both marks were eclipsed by Kansas City, however, which recorded a 59.9 rating on the night. 

• Super Bowl viewership reached 100 million for the first time in 2010 and hit that mark every year through 2020 — except 2019, which saw the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. 
• Viewership has been declining among people 18-49 — from around 50 million in 2010-2013, down to below 40 million in 2019 and 2020.
• NFL regular season viewership averaged 15.4 million, down 7% from the previous year and the first drop since 2017. 

The NFL has held up better than other major sports leagues. Despite people being stuck inside, sports viewership was down significantly across the board in 2020. 

The World Series struggled to attract viewers in the truncated MLB season: the deciding game averaged 13.2 million viewers, down from 23.2 million the previous year. NBA and NHL playoff watchers declined 37% and 38% respectively, with NBA Finals viewership cut in half, down to 7.5 million.

National TV ratings for this year’s Big Game hadn’t been released as of Monday night. “Super Bowl numbers are still being processed and verified,” a Nielsen spokesperson told Front Office Sports. The final tally, including out-of-home viewing, is expected today.