Both broadcasters saw record viewing figures for Kansas City Chief’s title win
3.4 million tuned into Sky Sports and ITV to watch the Super Bowl, breaking records for both broadcasters.
Overall, the set piece event was up 48% on its viewing figures last year, which was the first time it had been on ITV after the broadcaster took the rights from the BBC. Sky Sports peaked at 761,000, 35% higher than its previous single game record - Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 AFC Divisional Round, with an average of 514,000.
Meanwhile, ITV had a peak of 996,000, up 26% on its coverage last year, and an average of 555,000. The overall peak came just after kickoff, when 1.73 million were watching. The game was also available through the NFL Game Pass on DAZN.
The broadcasts also saw 91% year-on-year growth in under-35 viewership with almost three quarters (74%) of under 35s watching TV during that time watching the Super Bowl, compared to just over half last year (53%). Additionally, there was a 13% year-on-year increase in female viewers, with Sky Sports in particular reporting a roughly 100,000 increase (93% up on 2023).
The NFL’s social media channels also saw growth, and across X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, the NFL UK channels delivered 1.7M engagements (+130% YoY) and 23.6M video views (+7% YoY). The Sky Sports NFL account on X received 7.6m impressions (a YoY increase of 145%), and content views on X also went up to 1.5 million (an increase of 74% from 2023), and there were 12.2m views of NFL related content on all other social platforms.
NFL U.K. general manager Henry Hodgson said: “We are thrilled to see the number of people across the U.K. that watched Super Bowl LVIII on Sky Sports, ITV and NFL Game Pass on DAZN. The viewership, combined with the social engagement through Super Bowl week, is a testament to the growth of the NFL in the U.K., particularly among the youth demographic that we’ve targeted this season.”
Bryan Henderson, Sky Sports director of NFL, said: “The figures are testament to the continual growth of the NFL in the UK and we’re extremely proud to play a role in helping its expansion into new audiences. It’s been a brilliant season with new faces and a new studio added to our coverage, and the Super Bowl itself was a fitting end.”
The Kansas City Chiefs overturned a 10-3 deficit to the San Francisco 49ers with a touchdown in overtime to win 25-22, defending its title. In addition to the dramatic events on field, the NFL has recently seen a surge of interest due to Chiefs’ Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift.
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