A Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl has already set a TV ratings record. Can the same matchup do it again?
It’s Super Bowl LIX week in New Orleans, and Fox Sports is preparing to broadcast the NFL’s championship tilt that delivered a seismic audience for the network just two years ago. Kansas City’s 38–35 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl LVII drew 115.1 million viewers, at the time a record for the NFL title game.
That record was short-lived, as the Chiefs’ 25–22 overtime victory against the 49ers in Super Bow LVIII last February garnered 123.7 million viewers, primarily on CBS.
So, what will the appetite for this season’s finale be?
The AFC and NFC championship games were a mixed bag. Bills-Chiefs drew a staggering 57.7 million viewers, while Commanders-Eagles garnered an audience of 44.2 million.
Fox has a few unique happenings that could help attract even more viewers than usual.
On Super Sunday, the Chiefs will be vying for the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era. Meanwhile, Tom Brady will be in the booth calling his first Super Bowl to conclude the inaugural season of his 10-year, $375 million broadcasting deal with Fox Sports.
Additionally, Fox has cut a deal with NBCUniversal to produce two separate Spanish-language broadcasts that will air on Fox Deportes and Telemundo for the first time in Super Bowl history.
And despite the NFL’s overall TV ratings slipping this season, Fox in recent weeks has still been able to sell roughly a dozen 30-second Super Bowl LIX commercial units for at least $8 million each, topping previous sales numbers around $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime.
