Super Bowl LVI Viewership Bounces Back with Massive Audience for NBC

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NFL TV ratings were up big during the 2021-22 season and the trend continued during Super Bowl LVI on NBC.

According to data from Nielsen, Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams drew 99.18 million viewers. The viewership number for NBC represents a big jump from last year’s game, but fell short of the 100 million marker the big game reached in 10 of the 11 seasons prior.

Telemundo provided an additional 1.91 million for Super Bowl LVI, meaning the total number of linear viewers tallied 101.09 million. Streaming and digital platforms drew 11.21 million viewers, bringing the total audience for Super Bowl LVI to 112.3 million.

Last year, only 91.6 million tuned in to watch Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs on CBS. Viewers from platforms beyond linear TV boosted the total number to 96.4 million. A season marred by Covid and a game that was a 31-9 blowout, the Bucs-Chiefs matchup was the lowest rated Super Bowl since 2007, another CBS broadcast.

But NFL fans were more apt to live with Covid this year, and television ratings for the league spiked as the product appeared normal again with crowds filling stadiums and bars on gameday. NBC was also helped by having a close game this season, with the Rams edging out Cincinnati 23-20 to win their first Super Bowl since 2000.

Typically, ratings are released the Monday after the Super Bowl, but for the second years in a row, Nielsen delayed issuing the data. For NBC, the Super Bowl LVI ratings increase was welcome news considering viewership for the 2022 Winter Olympics have tanked.