126 Million People Watched Super Bowl LIX, The Highest Viewership Figure Ever

The Super Bowl is the most popular television event essentially every year, and that was no different in 2025. According to Nielson ratings, the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday averaged 126 million viewers throughout the broadcast, making it the most-watched Super Bowl of all time.

The peak happened in the second quarter, according to the numbers. Between 8pm and 8:15pm Eastern time, a whopping 135.7 million viewers were tuned in, which might just be the highest number in the history of television.

Super Bowl LIX Breaks Viewership Records With A 126 Million Average

During the Super Bowl halftime show in 1993, which featured a performance by Michael Jackson, NBC saw a boost to their viewership, which reached 133.4 million. At the time, it was called the most watched television broadcast of all time, though it didn’t officially rank since halftime shows aren’t considered standalone events. The numbers for the 1969 moon landing are disputed, but it is said that between 125 and 150 million tuned in to that event.

The Super Bowl 2025 figure includes all streaming services that carried the game as well.

It is just another notch on the belt of the NFL in terms of owning the air waves. There are now 11 Super Bowl broadcasts that have been viewed more than any other event in US history, aside from the moon landing, of course. #12 on the list belongs to the final episode of M*A*S*H*, which saw a then-record of over 105 million viewers. It is the only non-Super Bowl that ranks in the top 20 most viewed programs of all time.

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: A projected 126 MILLION viewers watched this year’s Super Bowl LIX.

A new record-high viewership for the Super Bowl.

What happened to everyone boycotting 😂 pic.twitter.com/M5r56LcF4s

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 11, 2025

The 126 million viewers this year is an impressive number given the unimpressive nature of the game itself. The Eagles scored 34 unanswered points before the Chiefs even got on the board, making it one of the least-competitive championship games that we have seen in some time. But the hype surrounding the event, especially for non-football attractions like the commercials and halftime show, was arguably larger than it has ever been. There was of course the added factor of Taylor Swift and her following, as well.

Each of the last three Super Bowls have broken the all-time viewership record.