Readers: Super Bowl won’t break ratings record
Predict it will be a bit higher than last year, when the big game drew 111.9M
February 2, 2017
The era of Super Bowl games setting a record for viewership year after year after year may be over.
After a season in which NFL ratings tumbled, the big game is expected to draw good but not record-breaking ratings.
And with people’s media habits changing so much these days, media buyers and planners believe it’s possible the Super Bowl will never again reach such heights.
That’s according to a recent Media Life survey inviting readers to weigh in on Sunday’s Super Bowl, which will air on Fox.
It found that the majority of readers, 74 percent, say the game will not set a new record for viewership. Just 26 percent think it will.
The current record, set in 2015, is 114.4 million, which also marks the biggest crowd to watch anything on television.
Readers noted that the current state of the TV industry makes it difficult to imagine another record being set.
More people are wandering away from television generally, to digital video, social media and whatever other new media they see.
Media people say the Super Bowl will continue to be important and draw huge numbers. But the combination of online viewing for the game growing and a generally declining cohesion of media habits among Americans will lead to viewership declines or stagnation.
They also say the NFL ratings this season, which the league has attributed in part to the bitterly partisan election, may reflect a softening of interest in the league.
“It’s become more competitive. It’s not just a slam dunk [to set records] anymore,” noted one reader.
Of course, some readers pointed out that given the right matchup—such as Dallas-New England—people will still tune in.
So how many viewers will this year’s game draw? A third of readers, the largest share, predict somewhere between 112.1 million and 113 million, slightly ahead of last year’s 111.9 million. Nearly all the rest voted for somewhere under 112 million.
Readers also predicted that the game will pull more than 1 million viewers online. Last year’s drew 1.4 million.
Most-anticipated ad
Every year, Media Life asks readers which ad they’re most anticipating. This year, like nearly every one of the more than 10 years we’ve done the study, the largest share of readers, 40 percent, said they’re most excited for Anheuser-Busch.
Snickers, which is airing a live ad, came in second at 20 percent. GoDaddy, returning to the game after a one-year layoff, was third at 15 percent.
What’s the optimal placement for a Super Bowl ad? Most readers, 55 percent, said it’s during the first quarter, when the game’s still close and people are still engaged.
The worst placement? During the postgame show, said just over half of readers. By then, people are wandering away from the TV or playing on their smartphones.
Who will win
As for who will win, this year for the first time ever, an equal number of readers picked both teams. Half project an Atlanta Falcons win, while the other half say it will be a New England Patriots victory.
That may be bad news for both teams – Media Life readers have chosen the winner correctly only a handful of times.
Tags: media life surveys, nfl, record tv viewers, super bowl, super bowl winner, tv record
Related News
Cable sports: A+E bets big on women’s soccer
Rachel, I want a job out of the line of fire
Newspapers and magazines keep riding the Trump bump
Surprise? Most Super Bowl bets are placed illegally.
NHL All-Star game shoots and scores on NBC
CBS takes first on a slow Wednesday with ‘Hunted’
Bow your head: Trump prays for ‘Apprentice’ ratings
Big deal: Entercom gobbles up CBS Radio
Readers: Super Bowl won’t break ratings record
This year, lighter buzz for the Super Bowl ads, too
Facebook’s bold new plan to dive into the TV market
Healthy investor interest in the billboard business
Tell us: What will be the big media stories of 2017?
People
- Kat Gates and Jeffrey Castellano join Wunderman
- Kelly Blake and Meredith Powlison join Catapult Creative Labs
- Lex Haris rises to investigative executive editor at CNN
- Rich Barbieri rises to executive editor at CNNMoney
- Ted Marino becomes VP of finance at YES Network
- John Boyne and Sam Milkman rises to EVPs at Coleman Insights
- Alan Godfrey becomes VP of account management at Quantcast
- David A. Yovanno becomes CEO at Impact Radius
- Michael Della Penna becomes EVP of growth at Cuebiq
- Charlie Rowe and Jacqueline Byers join CBS's 'Salvation'
- Ernie Hudson joins the cast of TBS's 'Angie Tribeca'
This week’s top-rated movies, songs and books
This week’s broadcast ratings
This week’s cable ratings
This month’s digital traffic data: December 2016
This week’s daypart ratings
Assistant media buyer opening in Fort Worth
Opening for a media planner at a top OOH agency
Orlando agency looking for a media planner/buyer
Freelance media planner/buyer available
Junior media planner/buyer position in Minneapolis-St. Paul