Super Bowl 2020: Chiefs vs 49ers attracts in excess of 100 million viewers on Fox broadcast

Patrick Mahomes rallied Kansas City to earn their first title in 50 years

Patrick Mahomes’ heroics to inspire the Kansas City Chiefs past the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl attracted an average of 99.9 million viewers on the Fox TV broadcast, signalling an increase of 1.7 per cent increase from last year.

Figures released by Nielsen data revealed Fox, owned by Fox Corp, has an increased average of 102 million when factoring in the Spanish-language simulcast and streaming the game on Fox, NFL and Verizon platforms.

Despite improving on the 98.4 million who watched the New England Patriots triumph over the Los Angeles Rams n 2019, the audience ranked as one of the lowest in a decade, the Nielsen data showed.

The all-time highest audience for the iconic game came in 2015 when 114.4 million tuned in to watch the Patriots triumph over the Seattle Seahawks.

In Miami on Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs’ 24-year-old quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, led his team to a stunning 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers – the Chiefs’ first championship since the 1969 season.

Mahomes was one of the draws for this year’s viewers, as were the commercials and a halftime show featuring performances by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

The viewership of the Super Bowl averages about 53% male and 47% female – this year it might have even been closer,” said Dennis Deninger, a professor who teaches sports communication at Syracuse University. “During the regular season those percentages are a bit off. For the Super Bowl there are so many other reasons to tune in. Most people in any society want to be part of what’s happening.

Ads during the Super Bowl featured another national rivalry: that between two competing presidential candidates. Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg spent up to $11 million each to appeal directly to voters, which was unprecedented in Super Bowl history.

Mahomes celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy (AP)

Other notable ads – which averaged up $5.6 million for a 30-second slot this year, according to Fox Corp – included Planters’ mascot Mr. Peanut, who died and was reborn, and football star Tom Brady’s appearance in an ad for streaming service Hulu.

The Super Bowl is a cultural event more so than it is a sporting event, said Brandon Brown, a clinical assistant professor of sport management at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. So you’ll have people who are not sports fans whatsoever tuning into the Super Bowl. The NFL has done a really good job embedding itself into the American culture.

Additional reporting from Reuters