Super Bowl LV viewership lowest since 2007, was most streamed NFL game ever
Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs drew 96.4 million total viewers across all platforms on Sunday, according to Nielsen ratings.
Viewership for the game, which aired on CBS, was down from last year's Super Bowl and represented the lowest since 2007 (93.1 million), when the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears.
Despite the lower television ratings, CBS said Super Bowl LV drew an average minute audience of 5.7 million viewers on streaming platforms, the highest ever for an NFL contest.
It marks the second time in three years the game failed to eclipse 100 million viewers. Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks remains the most-watched installment at 114 million.
Viewership was expected to be lower for the championship tilt this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic despite an intriguing quarterback matchup between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
The game was also more one-sided than expected, with the Bucs earning a dominant 31-9 win. Data showed that the matchup itself impacted viewership, as senior vice president of Octagon's global media rights Dan Cohen told CNBC that the audience likely peaked when Tampa Bay held a 7-3 lead.
Last year's Super Bowl drew a total audience of 102 million across Fox and all of its platforms.