Super Bowl television ratings
Super Bowl television ratings have traditionally been high. One of the most watched annual sporting events in the world, the NFL's championship game is broadcast in over 130 countries in more than 30 languages.[1] Viewership is predominantly North American;[2][3] the Super Bowl is the most watched television broadcast in the United States every year.[4]
International[edit]
Canada[edit]
The Super Bowl has been broadcast in Canada since its inception on both English and French television networks. In English, the first 12 Super Bowl games were broadcast on CBC television stations and affiliates. The game rotated between CTV (1979, 1981, 1983) and CBC (1980, 1982) before airing on Global and its affiliates in 1984 and 1985. The game briefly returned to CTV in 1986 and then aired on Global from 1987 until 2007. Following a new deal with the NFL, CTV regained the rights to air the Super Bowl in Canada and it has aired on the network since 2008. The game has also been simulcast on CTV 2 (2017–19) and sports cable channel TSN (2016–present).[86][87] In Quebec, the first 20 games aired on French television stations owned by the SRC (the Canadian Broadcasting Company is known in French as the Société Radio-Canada). From 1987 to 1991, the Super Bowl aired on TQS, with the exception of the 1989 game which was only available on NBC via cable. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, the game was broadcast on sports channel RDS before moving to TVA in 1995. In 1996, the game returned to RDS and has aired on the channel since.[86][88]
Viewership for early games was estimated through various surveys conducted by Numeris and/or Nielsen Canada. However, reliable figures are only available since the 1990s when Nielsen began tracking viewership in the province of Ontario in 1991; electronic measurement of the game was not conducted by Numeris nationally until the mid-2000s. Following the introduction of the Portable People Meter (PPM) in Canada in time for the 2010 game, viewership increased significantly compared to the previous decade. In 2014 and 2015, total Canadian viewership equaled or exceeded that of American total viewership, per capita.[89] A controversial decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that banned Canadian networks from simsubbing the Super Bowl in 2017, 2018, and 2019 caused a decline in viewership; the rule was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada prior to the 2020 game.
Similar to the United States, ad prices have also increased over the years on English networks in Canada. In 1977 and 1978, the cost of a 30-second ad was $2,500 and $3,200 Canadian, respectively.[90] By 1992, the price had increased to $25,000.[91] In 1994 and 1995, the price was $29,000 and $40,000, respectively.[92] By 1998, the price had increased to $45,000.[93] In 2000, the price was $85,000 per 30 seconds—more than a 50% increase over the $55,000 it cost in 1999.[94][95] The ad price was approximately $100,000 in 2003.[96] In 2005, the cost of a 30-second ad was $110,000;[97] it was lowered to $100,000 for the next two games due to a decline in viewership.[98][99] Following the acquisition of Super Bowl broadcasts rights by CTV, the price returned to $110,000 in 2008.[99] It then increased to approximately $117,000 for the 2009 game, before declining slightly for the 2010 game.[100] In 2011, CTV charged about $100,000.[101] By 2012, ads cost close to $130,000 per 30 seconds.[102] Ads cost between $170,000 and $200,000 for the 2015 game, and between $150,000 and $200,000 for the 2020 game.[103][104]