Super Bowl TV ratings are less than super for CBS

The viewer numbers were down for the 2021 Super Bowl while Internet usage reached an all-time high, according to CBS

The numbers are in for Super Bowl LV’s TV ratings. The overall figures failed to reach 100,000,000 viewers for Viacom/CBS.

Super Bowl LV attracted 96.4 million viewers, the company announced Tuesday, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9.

It’s the lowest watched Super Bowl since 2007, when the Indianapolis Colts played the Chicago Bears, another CBS broadcast. That game attracted 93.1 million viewers, according to Octagon’s media division data.

There is always a positive spin, however. CBS saw growth in Internet streaming. The company said the stream averaged 5.7 million viewers per minute.

This marks the second time in three years the game failed to eclipse 100 million TV viewers. Tom Brady’s last Super Bowl win in 2019 while with the Patriots generated roughly 98.2 million viewers; the lowest since 97.5 million tuned into the 2008 Super Bowl.

The 2015 game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks remains the most-watched game with roughly 114 million viewers.

Super Bowl ratings and viewership, all-time

As of 2021, out-of-home viewing is now included in traditional Nielsen-reported audience, via Sportsmediawatch.

YEAR GAME MARGIN NET OVERALL A18-49
RTG TV VWRS STRM SPNSH OOH RTG VWRS
2021 TB-KC TB +22 CBS 38.2 91.63M 5.7M 647K incl. 26.5 34.28M
2020 KC-SF KC +11 FOX 41.6 100.45M 3.4M 757K 13M 29.9 38.67M
2019 NE-LAR NE +10 CBS 41.1 98.19M 2.6M 473K 12M 31.0 39.95M
2018 PHI-NE PHI +8 NBC 43.1 103.39M 2.02M 543K 12M 33.4 43.00M
2017 NE-ATL NE +6 (OT) FOX 45.3 111.32M 1.72M 650K — 37.1 47.62M
2016 DEN-CAR DEN +14 CBS 46.6 111.86M 1.40M 472K — 37.7 47.86M
2015 NE-SEA NE +4 NBC 47.5 114.44M 973K 368K — 39.1 49.71M
2014 SEA-DEN SEA +35 FOX 46.7 112.19M 531K 561K — 39.3 49.87M
2013 BAL-SF BAL +3 CBS 46.4 108.69M 508K — — 39.7 50.22M
2012 NYG-NE NYG +4 NBC 47.0 111.35M 346K — — 40.5 51.84M
2011 GB-PIT GB +6 FOX 46.0 111.01M — — — 39.9 52.48M
2010 NO-IND NO +14 CBS 45.0 106.48M — — — 38.6 50.82M
2009 PIT-ARIZ PIT +4 NBC
42.0
 98.73M — — — 36.7 48.45M
2008 NYG-NE NYG +3 FOX
43.1
 97.45M — — — 37.5 49.19M
2007 IND-CHI IND +12 CBS
42.6
 93.18M — — — 35.2 n.a.
2006 PIT-SEA PIT +11 ABC
41.6
 90.75M — — — 34.6 45.01M
2005 NE-PHI NE +3 FOX
41.1
 86.07M — — — 33.2 43.14M
2004 NE-CAR NE +3 CBS
41.4
 89.80M — — — 35.7 46.00M
2003 TB-OAK TB +27 ABC
40.7
 88.64M — — — 36.4 46.86M
2002 NE-STL NE +3 FOX
40.4
 86.80M — — — 34.7 n.a.
2001 BAL-NYG BAL +27 CBS
40.4
 84.34M — — — 35.8 n.a.
2000 STL-TEN STL +7 ABC
43.3
 88.47M — — — 37.9 n.a.
1999 DEN-ATL DEN +15 FOX
40.2
 83.72M — — — 36.4 n.a.
1998 DEN-GB DEN +7 NBC
44.5
 90.00M — — — n.a. n.a.
1997 GB-NE GB +14 FOX
43.3
 87.87M — — — n.a. n.a.
1996 DAL-PIT DAL +10 NBC
46.0
 94.08M — — — 41.2 n.a.
1995 SF-SD SF +23 ABC
41.3
 83.42M — — — n.a. n.a.
1994 DAL-BUF DAL +17 NBC
45.5
 90.00M — — — n.a. n.a.
1993 DAL-BUF DAL +35 NBC
45.1
 90.99M — — — n.a. n.a.
1992 WSH-BUF WSH +13 CBS
40.3
 79.59M — — — n.a. n.a.
1991 NYG-BUF NYG +1 ABC
41.9
 79.51M — — — n.a. n.a.
1990 SF-DEN SF +45 CBS
39.0
 73.85M — — — n.a. n.a.
1989 SF-CIN SF +4 NBC
43.5
 81.59M — — — n.a. n.a.
1988 WSH-DEN WSH +32 ABC
41.9
 80.14M — — — n.a. n.a.
1987 NYG-DEN NYG +19 CBS
45.8
 87.19M — — — n.a. n.a.
1986 CHI-NE CHI +36 NBC
48.3
 92.57M — — — n.a. n.a.
1985 SF-MIA SF +22 ABC
46.4
 85.53M — — — n.a. n.a.
1984 LA RAIDERS-WSH LA +29 CBS
46.4
 77.62M — — — n.a. n.a.
1983 WSH-MIA WSH +10 NBC
48.6
 81.77M — — — n.a. n.a.
1982 SF-CIN SF +5 CBS
49.1
 85.24M — — — n.a. n.a.
1981 OAK-PHI OAK +17 NBC
44.4
 68.29M — — — n.a. n.a.
1980 PIT-LA RAMS PIT +12 CBS
46.3
 76.24M — — — n.a. n.a.
1979 PIT-DAL PIT +4 NBC
47.1
 74.74M — — — n.a. n.a.
1978 DAL-DEN DAL +17 CBS
47.2
 78.94M — — — n.a. n.a.
1977 OAK-MIN OAK +18 NBC
44.4
 62.05M — — — n.a. n.a.
1976 PIT-DAL PIT +4 CBS
42.3
 57.71M — — — n.a. n.a.
1975 PIT-MIN PIT +10 NBC
42.4
 56.05M — — — n.a. n.a.
1974 MIA-MIN MIA +17 CBS
41.6
 51.70M — — — n.a. n.a.
1973 MIA-WSH MIA +7 NBC
42.7
 53.32M — — — n.a. n.a.
1972 DAL-MIA DAL +21 CBS
44.2
 56.64M — — — n.a. n.a.
1971 BAL (COLTS)-DAL BAL +3 NBC
39.9
 46.04M — — — n.a. n.a.
1970 KC-MIN KC +16 CBS
39.4
 44.27M — — — n.a. n.a.
1969 NYJ-BAL (COLTS) NYJ +9 NBC
36.0
 41.66M — — — n.a. n.a.
1968 GB-OAK GB +19 CBS
36.8
 39.12M — — — n.a. n.a.
1967 GB-KC GB +25 CBS
22.6
 26.75M — — — n.a. n.a.
NBC
18.5
 24.43M — — — n.a. n.a.