Historic Super Bowl LIX ratings show nothing is stopping the NFL

Per Sports Media Watch, last year's Super Bowl LVIII, a Chiefs 25-22 overtime win over the 49ers, drew an audience of 120.25M to set the previous viewership record.

With Kansas City in its third consecutive Super Bowl and fifth in six seasons, there were questions about whether casual and neutral fans would watch. 

That concern was valid. In 2004, for example, the Patriots reached the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons, and their 24-21 win over the Eagles had three million viewers less than their triumph in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Panthers a year earlier.

Super Bowl LV, the last blowout in the big game, a 31-9 Buccaneers win over the Chiefs, drew 95.2M viewers in Feb. 2021, the Super Bowl's lowest since Super Bowl XLI in 2007.

Whether it was because viewers wanted to glimpse Kansas City's demise or make sure they didn't miss Kendrick Lamar's incredible halftime performance, Super Bowl LIX drew a larger audience than most expected it would.

For those needing evidence that the NFL is indestructible, look no further. If there had ever been a season to expect Super Bowl ratings to decline, it would have been this year.

Instead, the league proved once again how popular it is. Not even a blowout in the Super Bowl can slow its roll.