With 111.9 million viewers, Super Bowl 50 checks in with the third highest average viewership ratings.

 

A lackluster and defense-dominated Super Bowl led to a slight dip in ratings for the Super Bowl, but enough Americans tuned into Super Bowl 50 to make it the third-most watched NFL championship of all time. About 112 million viewers in the U.S. watched the Denver Broncos defense hold off NFL MVP Cam Newton to take home the Lombardi Trophy, according to Nielsen ratings. That number is down from the 2015 record of 114.4 million people. The overall percentage of homes turning into the game ticked down as well to 49%. CBS also offered a free live stream of the game, drawing just under 4 million unique viewers. Nielsen ratings for the Super Bowl are often taken with a bit of a grain of salt, as they do not take group viewership or broadcasts at bars into account.

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Super Bowl 50 Earns the third highest television viewership ratings