The Nielson Co. said today that Super Bowl XLIV was the most-watched program in American television history.
According to Nielson, 106.5 million people watched the Saints beat the Colts. That surpasses the previous record of 105.97 million viewers by the finale of M*A*S*H.
Last year’s Super Bowl, which drew 98.7 million viewers, was the most-watched Super Bowl in history, but this year that number was surpassed by nearly 8 million.
It’s a fitting end to a season in which all of the networks that show NFL games got huge ratings. And a good reminder that the players and owners need to get together and make sure they don’t do anything to spoil the game’s record-breaking popularity.