Whereas linear TV scores have cratered throughout the board, the Tremendous Bowl has finished the unthinkable: it’s really rising in viewership. The Large Recreation grew to the occasion’s greatest viewers ever the final three years in a row, and with 2026’s recreation developing on Sunday, all eyes are on whether or not it might probably maintain that record-breaking streak going.
The TV panorama had already fragmented by the point the 2024 Tremendous Bowl set a brand new viewership file with 123.7 million viewers tuning in to matchup between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, rising 7.47% from the 115.1 million viewers introduced in by the 2023 Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles recreation, which, on the time, marked the occasion’s greatest audience in six years.
By the subsequent 12 months, Tremendous Bowl LVIII broke its earlier file because it reached 127.7 million viewers for the newest Chiefs-Eagles recreation. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 halftime present additionally set a brand new file because the most-watched Tremendous Bowl halftime efficiency in historical past with 133.5 million viewers, rising 3% from the 129.3 million viewers that tuned into Usher’s halftime present the earlier 12 months.
Latest viewership developments provide optimism that the 2026 Tremendous Bowl will develop on its file as soon as once more, with VideoAmp chief income officer Bryan Goski noting that individuals are watching reside occasions now “greater than ever.” He famous that the fragmentation of viewing throughout linear and streaming platforms creates a notion that total viewing is down with out accounting for viewing habits throughout the board.
Final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl supplied a free streaming choice for viewers by Tubi, which reside streamed the sport without cost for the primary time as Fox aired it on linear. However this 12 months doesn’t have a FAST element, with the New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks recreation set to air on NBC, Peacock, NFL+ and NBCUniversal-owned Spanish-language channels Telemundo and Universo. This limits the accessibility of the sport for viewers with out cable or streaming subscriptions, the latter of which favors youthful demos.
Certainly, if you wish to watch this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl on Peacock, you’ll have to enroll in a $10.99 monthly or $109.99 per 12 months plan.
Although NBCUniversal owns loads of FAST channels, the transfer to make Peacock the Tremendous Bowl’s sole streaming house is a part of the Comcast-owned firm’s effort to drive subscriptions to its platform forward of each the NBA All-Star recreation on Feb. 15 and the Winter Olympics, which kick off Friday and run by Feb. 22.
“You’re going to make use of these massive, must-watch occasions, à la love the Tremendous Bowl, to maneuver towards the streaming platform, which is everybody’s technique,” Goski advised TheWrap, pointing to the decline of linear TV and the emergence of streaming, however nonetheless noting the linear shouldn’t be underestimated because it brings in strong viewership for the sport. “How are you as NBCU utilizing that as a method to get extra adoption of the Peacock platform, which is the strategic way forward for the enterprise?”
Moreover, methodologies to measure viewership have shifted barely, with Sunday’s recreation marking the primary Tremendous Bowl since Nielsen’s new massive information + panel measurement system rolled out this fall. The brand new system combines current panel with information from cable, satellite tv for pc set-top containers and sensible TVs throughout 45 million households and 75 million units by the corporate’s partnership with massive information companions like Roku, Comcast, Dish, Vizio, and DirecTV and likewise incorporates first-party information from collaborating streaming providers for reside occasions.
Whereas Nielsen’s out-of-home growth has been cited for year-over-year scores positive aspects this soccer season, the growth had rolled out by the point of final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl, so this 12 months’s recreation shouldn’t be too impacted there. The corporate can also be launching a brand new pilot program to extra precisely depend co-viewing, although these outcomes gained’t be accessible for a couple of weeks, per Nielsen.
Viewership for Tremendous Bowl LX in fact relies on the curiosity within the particular groups, because the New England Patriots tackle the Seattle Seahawks, in addition to the trajectory of the sport (an in depth final quarter may make all of the distinction).
Sunday’s recreation marks the primary Tremendous Bowl in three years that gained’t characteristic the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, whose affiliation with Taylor Swift by way of fiancé Travis Kelce undeniably boosted scores for the crew’s video games. However Goski doesn’t consider the shortage of a “Swift Cam” will impression this 12 months’s scores.
“Issues just like the Taylor Swift impact are attention-grabbing spikes for sure video games … however I don’t suppose it’s going to have a dramatic change of viewership, as a result of you’ve such a loyal fanbase within the NFL that simply needs to observe,” Goski mentioned.
As for the halftime present, anticipation has been mounting for Unhealthy Bunny’s efficiency after the Feb. 1 Grammys noticed host Trevor Noah attempt to get the reggaeton artist to interrupt his contract by singing a couple of bars on the ceremony. He didn’t, although his win for album of the 12 months — the primary time a Spanish-language album gained the accolade — in addition to his anti-ICE speech solely generated extra buzz forward of the highlight efficiency.
Turning Level USA is about to air another “All-American Halftime Present” that includes Child Rock, Brantley Gilbert and extra throughout Turning Level USA’s X and Rumble, in addition to the Each day Wire and Trinity Broadcasting Community, although it’s nonetheless to be seen if it would pose any significant competitors to the Tremendous Bowl present.
Keep tuned subsequent week to see how the numbers form up. Now, on to the remainder of this week’s scores highlights.
ABC sees scores wins for “American Idol,” “Excessive Potential” and “The Rookie”
ABC has seen notable scores wins with its spring slate, with the season premiere of “American Idol” bringing in 8.27 million viewers after three days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, rising 20% over the past season premiere and marking the present’s strongest premiere in 4 years.
The community additionally noticed spectacular viewership for its Tuesday lineup as “Excessive Potential” nabbed 9.07 million viewers in its first week of multiplatform viewing, marking the very best seven-day linear efficiency for an ABC scripted present in over 5 years, since “Gray’s Anatomy” in November 2020. Moreover, “The Rookie” scored its finest efficiency amongst complete viewers over 5 years with 9.65 million viewers after one week.
NHL Stadium Collection scores most-watched common season recreation ever on cable
Sunday’s Bruins-Lightning match averaged 2.1 million viewers, rising 30% over final 12 months’s Stadium Collection to turn out to be the most-watched common season recreation ever on cable. By way of 22 video games, the NHL on ESPN networks is averaging 795K viewers, up 39% year-over-year.
ESPN scores second most-watched month in 30 years
The community closed out January as ESPN’s No. 2 most-watched month in 30 years, courting again to 1996 in addition to its No. 1 month in over a decade, since January 2015. The channel averaged 1.7 million viewers, up 12% from January 2025.
ICYMI
- The 2026 Grammys dipped 6.4% from final 12 months because it scored 14.4 million viewers throughout CBS and Paramount+
- “Bridgerton” Season 4, Half 1 debuted to 39.7 million views in its first 4 days on Netflix, marking a slight downtick from the Season 3 premiere, which earned 45.1 million views
- “The Rip” was Netflix’s prime film for the third week in a row with 14.6 million views through the week of Jan. 26
