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NBC's Super Bowl Coverage Sets Viewing Records

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2009

Updated: 02/04/2009 01:46 pm

TAMPA - NBC has won the most recent weekly Nielsen Media ratings race with the most-watched Super Bowl and the most-watched prime time network telecast ever, according to the network.

NBC's release of the Nielsen report shows the network averaged 89.9 million viewers Sunday in prime time (7 to 11 p.m.) during its telecast of Super Bowl XLIII from Tampa. That marks the highest viewership for any network on any prime time night in people-meter history.

The report shows 151.6 million persons watched all or some (at least six minutes) of the telecast of the game. An average of 98.7 million watched for the game's full duration. That average tops last year's Super Bowl, previously the most-watched Super Bowl (97.5 million).

Super Bowl XLIII was also the second most-watched television broadcast in TV history as far as "average viewership" during the program. The 1983 series finale of "M*A*S*H" which averaged 106 million viewers remains the "most-watched television broadcast in history" based on average viewership.

Among ages 18 to 49, NBC averaged a 34.0 rating from 7 to 11 p.m., marking NBC's best performance for any prime time night in more than 11 years, since Sunday, Jan. 25, 1998, when a 35.5 was recorded when the network last broadcast a Super Bowl.

NBC won the week in all key measures, averaging a 7.8 rating, 20 share among ages 18 to 49 and 21.6 million viewers overall for the week of Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Preliminary ratings results as of Monday had the national viewing average at 95 million but the final tally boosted the total viewing audience. Most media outlets were reporting on Monday and Tuesday that Super Bowl XLIII fell short of last year, but full ratings results tell a different story.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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