Superbowl 44 Most Watched Event Ever
Up until Sunday, the most watched televised event in America was the finale of the popular CBS show MASH, which in 1983 brought in just shy of 106 million viewers. However, the match up between the Saints and the Colts served as the perfect venue to best that record. Pulling in 106.5 million viewers, Superbowl 44 knocked the popular sitcom from its number one spot which it had held for nearly 27 years.
Before the game even happened, television executives were wondering if the massive amounts of snow and power outages on the east coast would hamper the number of viewers who would be tuning in. However, it seems that the snow kept people inside and with their eyes peeled to the screen the entire time. Many people thought that last year’s superbowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals had the potential to break the record. Realistically, it did, though it came up short, bringing in 98.7 million viewers.
As they say, records are always made to be broken, and this one was especially made for that. Back in 1983, there were an estimated 83.3 million television homes, compared to the roughly 115 million that there are now. Also, with the power of the internet and social networking fueling anticipation of large televised events, it was only a matter of time until something came along that had enough clout to bring in the amount of people needed to claim the record.
Personally, I’m glad the Superbowl was the first to best the MASH record instead of some reality dating show. Only time will tell how long the Saints’ victory game will keep the number one spot. But I doubt in today’s world it will take 27 years to beat it.
To read the original article, please go to http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/02/saints-super-bowl-win-is-.html
If you take into account the percentage of available views rather than raw numbers, the MASH finale with 106 million viewers for 83.3 televised homes (127.9%) in 1983 compared to 106.6 viewers for 115 televised homes (0.927%) in 2010, the MASH finale is still the leader. The Superbowl 44 was a spectacular event that was entertaining for even the casual football follower, let alone an avid fan, so it is not surprising it racked up the numbers and, almost, the percentages.