While Super Bowl LVI viewership on NBC didn’t crack 100 million impressions this year – as predicted in The Athletic by our CEO Kevin Krim – the Big Game continued to engage viewers nationally, and provided the largest captivated TV audience that advertisers will see all year.
EDO noted two major viewership trends throughout the game, based on our minute-by-minute chart depicting the percentage of peak viewers in each quarter across the US, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles.
Cincinnati viewership steadily climbs until Q4
Cincinnati fans let their Bengals flags fly high during Super Bowl LVI. The city proved it’s a serious football market as Super Bowl viewers in the region increasingly tuned into the game until a small dip in peak viewership at the end of the third quarter, followed by a stark drop moments before the game’s end.
Pepsi Halftime Show Engages Angelenos and Americans
90s hip hop and rap dominated this year’s halftime show. Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige headlined the performance, with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 cent playing some of their greatest hits of the last two decades plus.
The halftime show proved to be a huge draw for Angelenos and Americans alike. Viewership hit its peak in both markets shortly after halftime began. Meanwhile, Cincinnatti’s viewership remained stagnant by midgame. By the end of the game, peak viewership for Los Angeles hit about 94% of its total viewership.
For more Big Game insights, check out EDO’s Super Bowl LVI Ad Ranker and Celebrity Ranker.