Super Bowl LVIII shatters UK viewership records
Super Bowl LVIII made history as the most-watched National Football League (NFL) game on record for both pay-TV network Sky Sports and commercial broadcaster ITV in the UK.
Kansas City Chiefs’ overtime victory against San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas earlier this month, saw a combined total of 3.4 million unique viewers, marking a 48 percent increase year-over-year.
Sky Sports witnessed a peak viewership of 761,000 – a 35 percent increase compared to its previous single-game record set during the 2022 AFC Divisional Round matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile, ITV’s peak viewing hit 996,000, representing a substantial 26 percent increase over last year’s peak, with an average audience of 555,000, up by 18 percent YoY.
Super Bowl LVIII attracted a peak audience of 1.73 million viewers in the UK, showcasing the growing popularity of NFL football across the pond. Additionally, the NFL’s championship game experienced a 91 percent YoY growth in under-35 viewership, with 74 percent of under-35s watching TV during the Super Bowl tuning in to the game, compared to 53 percent in 2023.
NFL UK channels saw a surge in social media engagement, with 1.7 million engagements (up 130 percent YoY) and 23.6 million video views (up seven percent YoY) across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
“We are thrilled to see the number of people across the UK that watched Super Bowl LVIII on Sky Sports, ITV and NFL Game Pass on DAZN,” commented Henry Hodgson, General Manager of NFL UK.
“The viewership, combined with the social engagement through Super Bowl week, is a testament to the growth of the NFL in the UK, particularly among the youth demographic that we’ve targeted this season.”
Looking ahead, the NFL is set to return to the UK later this year with international games in London during the 2024 regular season. Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars will each play games in London, with the Bears and Vikings facing off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jaguars returning to Wembley Stadium.
