Caleb Wilfinger
Over the past couple of decades, the Super Bowl has become the most-watched sporting event in America each year by a pretty wide margin. This season, football’s biggest game takes place on February 9, 2025 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we can expect to see a massive television audience for this game once again. But what was the biggest TV audience ever for a Super Bowl? Let’s take a look at the most-viewed Super Bowls of all time, while you can find out our Super Bowl picks for this year’s matchup.
5. Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers, 112 million viewers
What felt like one of the most anticipated Super Bowls of its era came in 2016, when Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers took on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. Despite going 15-1 in the regular season and looking unstoppable in the playoffs, Newton’s upstart Panthers were ultimately defeated by a Broncos team that boasted a terrific defense and a cagey veteran quarterback in Manning who made up for his lack of arm strength with his elite processing and execution from the pocket. This game was broadcast on CBS and brought in just over 112 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen.
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4. Super Bowl 48: Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos, 113 million viewers
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos faced off against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 48 from MetLife Stadium in 2014. While the game turned out to be a massive blowout in favor of the Seahawks — temporarily ruining Manning’s chances at winning a Super Bowl with multiple franchises in the process — this matchup did draw in plenty of football fans, as it was the perfect matchup of offense (Broncos) vs defense (Seahawks). The game was broadcast on FOX and pulled in nearly 113 million viewers, in what was a new Super Bowl audience record at the time.
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3. Super Bowl 49: New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks, 114 million viewers
Just one year after the Seahawks crushed the Broncos to win it all, one of the most memorable Super Bowls in recent memory took place in 2015, when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots knocked off Seattle in thrilling fashion to win Super Bowl 49. The game is most widely recognized for its end-of-game sequence, in which Wilson threw an interception at the goal line instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch for what would likely have been the game-winning touchdown. Super Bowl 49 pulled in over 114 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen.
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2. Super Bowl 57: Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles, 115.1 million viewers
Back in 2023, a Super Bowl that set viewership records at the time was Super Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, in which the Chiefs won a 38-35 thriller in Glendale, Arizona. Patrick Mahomes was brilliant once again in leading his team to a second Super Bowl in the span of 4 seasons on FOX, ultimately besting Jalen Hurts and Philly. The game brought in over 115 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen.
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1. Super Bowl 58: Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers, 123.4 million viewers
The most-watched Super Bowl in history took place in 2024 between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, in which Kansas City won 25-22 in an overtime thriller in Las Vegas. The game registered 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms for the Super Bowl audience, which was up by 7% compared to Super Bowl 57, which held the previous record of 115.1 million viewers. Part of what made the game so successful was the starpower involved, as Travis Kelce’s participation was undoubtedly crucial to new football fans who became enraptured with the Chiefs due to his relationship with Taylor Swift.
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