Ratings for Sunday's nail-biting finish to the Super Bowl were the highest in 23 years, according to early Nielsen figures released Monday.
An estimated 68% of televisions turned on in Nielsen's sample of major markets around the country were tuned to CBS coverage of the New Orleans Saints' 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts, according to preliminary figures.
The early numbers for Sunday's game were up 10% from last year's Pittsburgh-Arizona game.
"Most people perceived it was going to be a good game," said analyst Bill Carroll, a vice president at the Katz Media Group. "I think, in addition to that, the underdog, the Saints, was if not a rooting favorite, a hoped-for favorite by most people in America. They were rooting for not only the team, but the city."
It also helped that the game wasn't decided until the final minutes.
In New Orleans, a whopping 82% of the sets on were tuned to the game, the largest percentage of the major markets released by Nielsen. Indianapolis had 80% of the sets tuned to the game.
And in Washington, 73% of the sets were tuned to the game.
Researchers predicted Sunday's game could have a record audience because the economy would result in more people watching at home, rather than going out to bars, where their viewing wouldn't count in Nielsen's tally.
Likewise, the blizzard that hit parts of the East Coast over the weekend prior to the game probably kept more viewers near their TVs than in years past.
Posted via web from FASTBREAK
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