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The NFL and Jerry Jones didn't get the record they wanted for attendance, but what the NFL did get was a record television audience, again. With numbers like these, if the NFL has a lockout, they are truly idiotic.
From the NFL...
The record-setting 2010 NFL season concluded with another television milestone as Super Bowl XLV on FOX reached a total audience of 162.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched show in U.S. television history according to The Nielsen Company.
The Packers-Steelers championship game topped by 9.5 million the previous record of 153.4 million total viewers set last year (Colts-Saints in Super Bowl XLIV) and marks the fourth consecutive record-setting total audience for the Super Bowl. Super Bowls account for the 20 most-watched programs in history in terms of total audience.
Most-Watched TV Programs, Total Viewers
|
Game |
Total Viewers |
|
Super Bowl XLV (Packers-Steelers), 2/6/11 |
162.9 million |
|
Super Bowl XLIV (Colts-Saints), 2/7/10 |
153.4 million |
|
Super Bowl XLIII (Cardinals-Steelers), 2/1/09 |
151.6 million |
|
148.3 million |
|
|
Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots-Panthers), 2/1/04 |
144.4 million |
Source: NFL, The Nielsen Company
In addition, a record average of 111 million viewers watched Super Bowl XLV - topping the previous mark of 106.5 million for Super Bowl XLIV.