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Super Bowl XLV Ratings: Most-watched program in TV history, moves FOX into #1 for season
If anyone is happier than the Green Bay Packers right now, it's FOX executives.
Early estimates proved correct, and Super Bowl XLV is officially the most-watched program in the history of U.S. television. Fast-national ratings report the broadcast averaged 111 million viewers over the course of the night.
This number is 4.5 million higher than reining champ Super Bowl XLIV, which nabbed the title last year after dethroning previous title-holder "M*A*S*H." The series finale of "M*A*S*H" held the record from 1983 to 2010, with 106.0 million.
Not only does this distinguish FOX as the first network to ever exceed 100 million for a night, it pushes the network above CBS to claim the top spot among networks this season.
Early estimates proved correct, and Super Bowl XLV is officially the most-watched program in the history of U.S. television. Fast-national ratings report the broadcast averaged 111 million viewers over the course of the night.
This number is 4.5 million higher than reining champ Super Bowl XLIV, which nabbed the title last year after dethroning previous title-holder "M*A*S*H." The series finale of "M*A*S*H" held the record from 1983 to 2010, with 106.0 million.
Not only does this distinguish FOX as the first network to ever exceed 100 million for a night, it pushes the network above CBS to claim the top spot among networks this season.
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And that doesn't even count the out-of-home viewing!
What am I missing? How can it be the first network to ever exceed 100 million viewers when it states in the article that M*A*S*H had 106 million in 1983?
To Paul: It states the whole night exceeded 100 million, not just an individual program.
The Mash Finale was 2 1/2 hours long with 30 minutes left for the rest of the night. The whole night probably did not exceed 100 million viewers.
I wonder what the rating is for percentage of viewers. There would have been fewre in 1983, so I'm guessing that M*A*S*H' had a higher percent.
I'm still dubious since Glee aired right after, it was still primetime, even on the east coast, and out here in the Pacific Time Zone, it aired at 7:30, which meant there were still 2 1/2 hours of primetime left after it was over.
Note that it states that they estimate 111 *viewers* and not *households*. How did they get at this number? Did they multiply each household registered by 4? Very dubious stats there.
Saying FOX is the # 1 network is very misleading in my opinion since they air 7 less hours each week than the other big Nets do. If they aired the same amount of hours they would not be in the position they r in right now. Play on a level field and then make the comparisons and do the bragging.
That's their fault, not Fox's. The networks have long thought about dumping the 10pm hour and moving their late night shows up to 11. In fact, that was one of the options NBC looked at after the Jay Leno fiasco. Furthermore, there's only three networks airing shows at 10pm, so they actually have an advantage over FOX and the CW who are always competing against four other networks.