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Super Bowl LVIII sets record as most-watched telecast

Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / Getty

Sunday's thrilling Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers delivered the most-watched telecast ever, with 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms, CBS Sports announced Monday.

The platforms include CBS Television Network, Paramount+, Nickelodeon, CBS Sports, Univision, and NFL+.

Kansas City defeated San Francisco 25-22 in overtime thanks to a Mecole Hardman walk-off touchdown catch to cap the seventh-longest game in Super Bowl history.

This year's viewership marks a 7% increase from last year's Big Game, which had set the previous record (115.1 million), according to CBS. A total of 202.4 million viewers watched all or part of the Chiefs' triumph over the 49ers across networks, the highest unduplicated total audience in history.

Super Bowl LVIII was also the most-streamed Super Bowl ever.

Sunday's matchup was the first Super Bowl to take place in Las Vegas. In addition to featuring Patrick Mahomes - football's biggest star - quarterbacking the NFL's newest dynasty, the game was a rematch of Super Bowl LIV. Kansas City also defeated San Francisco in February 2020.

Off the field, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's relationship with Taylor Swift also stole headlines. Swift was in attendance at Allegiant Stadium and was shown on the broadcast multiple times.

Winners of three Super Bowls in the last five years, the Chiefs are the first team to lift the Lombardi Trophy in back-to-back seasons since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004.

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