Last year’s matchup between the Patriots and the Giants was viewed by a record 97.5 million people in the U.S. As expected, the Super Bowl was the most-watched TV broadcast in 2008. Networks broadcasting the Super Bowl often use the game as a lead-in for one of their regular shows. This year, NBC will broadcast a one-hour episode of The Office. Last year, 29.1 million viewers stuck around after the game to watch an episode of House on FOX.

Year
Super Bowl
Avg. viewers
in millions
Show After Game
Avg. viewers
in millions

2008
FOX – …

The 2008 Super Bowl was the highest-rated TV show in the U.S. for the year and was viewed by a record 97.5 million people – more than any previous Super Bowl. And, as expected, 42.9 percent of those viewers were males 18 years and older (45.8 million viewers). However, according to The Nielsen Company, 37.7 million women over the age of 18 were also watching. In the last 10 years, the percentage of women watching the Super Bowl between the ages of 18-54 has increased by 8 percent.
Despite this …