Super Bowl Snags Best Ratings in TV History

Did a blowout victory get in the way of America's great TV love affair? Not at all: Brushing aside initial reports of low ratings, Deadline reports that Super Bowl XLVIII drew 111.5 million viewers—the most of any show in US history. And Bruno Mars' half-time performance with the Red Hot Chili Peppers drew a record 115.3 million, topping Madonna's 114 million in 2012 and Beyonce's 110.8 million last year. Meanwhile, the game's fast national share of 46.4/69 (% of TV households/% of TV sets) matched last year's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

The game's kickoff rating, 44.5/70, was the highest ever for a Super Bowl, but ratings peaked around 7:30pm-8pm at 47.9/71 when the Seattle Seahawks took a commanding 22-0 lead over the Denver Broncos. Now the country's top five most-watched shows are all Super Bowls, Entertainment Weekly notes, with the 1983 M*A*S*H finale in sixth place. (Click to see which advertisers made this year's best and worst Super Bowl ads.)