What Are the Most, and Least-Watched Super Bowl Games in TV History?

The Super Bowl is considered the most-watched single TV sporting even in the world. But some have had a lot more viewers than others.

  Which Games Drew the Biggest TV Audience?

The term Super Bowl was coined way back in the beginning, the Super Bowl name stuck when the AFL and NFL Champions played in the first two games. Green Bay won them both.

Then, after the American Football League (AFL) merged with the NFL, the name remained. (The AFL gave us Houston, Kansas City, Oakland, Buffalo, Denver, New England, San Diego Chargers, the Bengals, and NY Jets).

The very first Super Bowl was January15, 1967. The merger was in 1970.

 The Most Watched Super Bowls of All Time Are:

• #5  2015, Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots Beat Seattle 28-24.  It's most famous for Seattle throwing a pass on the goal line that was intercepted, and the Pats ran out the clock.  Viewership was  114.4 million
• #4  Super Bowl LI,  2017, when the Patriots rallied to beat the Falcons, the 1st overtime game in Super Bowl History.  Viewership 113.7 million (adjusted for updated stats--was actually higher)
• #3  Super Bowl LVII   Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35,  Mahomes Comeback. Viewership 115.1 million
• #2   Super Bowl LVIII  Chiefs beat the Niners in 2024 by a score of 25-22. Viewership 123.7 million.
• #1  Super Bowl LIX, 2025.  Eagles beat the Chiefs 45-22,  Viewership 127.7 million.

  The least watched Super Bowls of All Time

• #5  Super Bowl XL, 2006, in Detroit, when the Steelers Beat Seattle 21-10. Viewership was 90.75 million viewers.
• #4  Super Bowl LIII  2019, Patriots Beat the Rams 13-3, Viewership was 98.2 million viewers, but adjusted as a percentage of the overall TV market.
• #3 Super Bowl XLIII Steelers beat the Cardinals 27-23 in 2009. Ironic, because comeback player of the year Kurt Warner led Arizona, he was supposed to be their backup that season.  Viewership 95.2 million but adjusted for percentage of markets.
• #2  Super Bowl III   Surprising that the huge upset, Joe Namath's Guarantee of a win over the Colts had the lowest percentage rating ever, only 36 percent of viewers watched the 16-7 win by New York.  Everyone thought the Colts would roll.
• #1   Super Bowl LV,  Tom Brady's 'other' Super Bowl franchise win.  Tampa Bay beat the Chiefs 31-9.  Viewership was 91.6 million, the lowest since 1969.

We shall see what happens this coming game, between Seattle and New England.