There’s no doubt that America’s favorite sport is football and the most watched event in America each year is the Super Bowl. Across the country, people get together for watch parties whether or not they are football fans in order to see the pageantry that has become the biggest game in football. This season the New England Patriots will face the Atlanta Falcons in The Big Game and BookMaker has propositions on whether or not this will be the most watched Super Bowl ever.
Don't miss Super Bowl 51 from NRG Stadium in Houston, TX at 6:30 p.m. ET on February 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on FOX.
Super Bowl 51 Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta Falcons +3
New England Patriots -3
Over/Under 58
Super Bowl LI total million viewers (According to Nielsen Ratings)
| NOW | OPEN |
|---|
| Over 117.5 +180 | Over 117.5 -140 |
| Under 117.5 -240 | Under 117.5 +110 |
One of the biggest stories during the regular season was that for the first time in years, ratings for the NFL were down across the board. There have been a number of reasons hypothesized for this, but thanks to the success of the Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys the numbers stabilized by the end of the year.
However, the playoffs have seen this trend continue. Ratings were down for 8 of the 10 playoff games compared to the numbers they posted in their timeslots last season and the NFL missed out on the ratings bonanza it would have had provided the Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl. The Dallas-Green Bay game ended up setting a record for highest viewership for a non-conference title game but unfortunately neither one of those teams made it out of the NFC.
Instead, Atlanta won the conference and while the city is one of the most populous in the country, Falcons games don’t draw eyeballs on television. The Atlanta-Seattle game had the fewest number of viewers of any in the Divisional Round and there’s a reason that networks don’t choose to broadcast many Falcons games nationally.
Fortunately for the NFL the team that is the biggest draw in the AFC won the conference. The Patriots have been the most watched team in the AFC over their recent run and any game they play in will draw in viewers from across the country because of the polarizing nature of the team.
The most watched Super Bowl ever happened two years ago when the Patriots dramatically held on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. That game drew 114.4 million viewers and given the exciting conclusion as well as the teams involved, it’s difficult to imagine this game drawing more views than that let alone 3.1 million more.
Super Bowl LI Nielsen Rating
| NOW | OPEN |
|---|
| Over 48.5 +250 | Over 48.5 +100 |
| Under 48.5 -350 | Under 48.5 -130 |
This rating is a percentage of households with a television that are tuned into a program. The Super Bowl has traditionally been strong with regards to Nielsen Ratings, even in the face of an environment that sees more and more television channels being created annually.
However, much of the reason for the continued rise for the Super Bowl’s Nielsen Rating has been competitors’ unwillingness to air competitive programming alongside the game. In past years, putting something on air alongside the broadcast was suicide, but with the decline in ratings for the NFL this year, other broadcasters may be more bold. Rather than airing reruns or old movies, a few stations are going to directly compete and that should chip into the ratings.
The last six Super Bowls have garnered at least a 46 rating with the highest being the 47.5 that Super Bowl XLIX posted. This line has moved significantly more than the total viewership line has moved which is somewhat puzzling considering what it represents. Still, the under in both is the right side.
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