Indiantelevision.com Team

(7 February 2008 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: The Super Bowl, which took place in the US on 2 February and which aired on Fox, has set a record in terms of TV viewership.

97.5 million viewers saw the New York Giants' last-minute victory over the New England Patriots, making it the most-watched Super Bowl and second-biggest event in American TV history.

Only the M*A*S*H series finale in 1983, with 106 million viewers, was seen by more people, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Media reports indicate that audiences peaked at around 107 million. Fox's post-match show drew 69 million viewers.

The previous viewing record for the Super Bowl was set in 1996 when 94.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the match on NBC. Last year, 93.2 million people watched the games on CBS, making it the third highest Super Bowl audience of all time.

Advertisers paid an average of $2.7 million for a 30-second spot. Fox is estmated to have made over $200 million.