• Loading stock data...
Thursday, March 28, 2024
2024 Best Venues nominations are open now through April 8! Submit Now

Chiefs-Bucs Hits Big in Boston

  • Boston tuned in to watch its former star win his first Super Bowl in another uniform.
  • Only Kansas City posted a higher local Nielsen rating than Boston.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The NFLPA Report Card Is Doing Exactly What It Was Intended For

Robert Kraft hasn’t gone to school in nearly 60 years, but on Tuesday the Patriots’ owner found himself talking about his report card. 

How Lack of Planning by NCAA, Gonzaga Led to Racial Abuse of Utah Athletes

The NCAA gave Gonzaga a waiver to place teams in an extremist hotbed.

NCAA President Calls for Nationwide Ban on College Prop Bets

The NCAA president is reacting to the recent betting turmoil in sports.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

MLB Opens Season With MLBPA, Ohtani, and Ownership Dramas

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) react in overtime against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.

‘An Expensive Game’: March Madness and NIL Collectives Are Intertwined

At schools nationwide, collectives are fueling NCAA tournament runs and vice versa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits to be announced in the starting lineup against West Virginia in a NCAA Tournament round of 32 game Monday, March 25, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
March 26, 2024

The Women’s Trading Card Market Is Overlooked. Can Caitlin Clark Change That?

Traditionally, women’s sports cards have been a marginal part of collectibles.
The Sports Illustrated cover signed by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, February 27, 2019, at Don & Charlie's, 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Don Charlie S
March 24, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing ‘Sports Illustrated’ Saga

Understanding the strange state of affairs for the nearly 70-year-old publication.
March 23, 2024

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Inside the Big East’s Bizarre Online Subculture

Peeling back the curtain on the ‘phenomenally weird’ Big East online ecosystem.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Live Nation
Multiple - USA Careers
Adidas
Multiple - USA Careers
Spotify
Multiple - USA Careers

NFL Executive Questions Logic Behind Streaming Giants’ Joint Venture

The ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox alliance is expected to launch this fall.
March 25, 2024

Inside the Proxy Fight for the Future of Disney (and ESPN)

Dissident investor Nelson Peltz is seeking two board seats in an upcoming election.
exclusive
March 26, 2024

Threats, Demands, a Lawsuit, and a Website in Limbo: Inside the Chaos at ‘SI’

‘Sports Illustrated’ has new publishers, but the transition has been messy at best.
Sponsored

How Daily Fantasy Sports Solved NBA Fantasy

The remarkable growth of the #1 Discord sports server in the world.
March 25, 2024

The Brian Kelly ‘Hit Job’ Kim Mulkey Ripped Is Barely About Brian Kelly at All

The article was hardly about Kelly at all.
March 23, 2024

At ESPN, She’s the Storyteller of the Women’s Tourney—and What a Year It Is for That

Sara Gaiero sees Caitlin Clark hype as an opportunity to hook people on two ESPN products: March Madness and, eventually, the WNBA.
March 21, 2024

Ian Eagle Is Ready to Get March Madness Started

He succeeds Jim Nantz as the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS and TBS.
March 19, 2024

ESPN Locks Up a $7.8B College Football Playoff Extension

Network chairman Jimmy Pitaro announced the six-year deal at a conference Tuesday