Seattle Seahawks' Sidney Rice holds the Lombardi Trophy after the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Seahawks won 43-8.
An average of 111.5 million people tuned in to watch the Seattle Seahawks hammer the Denver Broncos, making Super Bowl XLVIII the most-watched television show in U.S. history, according to a Fox Sports press release. Viewership toppled the previous record-holder by 200,000 viewers; 111.3 million tuned in to watch the New York Giants and the New England Patriots face off at Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012.
The Pepsi Halftime show, featuring a bespoke Bruno Mars and a shirtless Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, got even more viewers, as 115.3 million watched the spectacle. Madonna’s 2012 show held the previous record of 114 million viewers.
Previous reports ranked last night’s game as the fifth most-watched Super Bowl of all time. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Bronco’s 43-8. According to Fox Sports it was the largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl in 21 years.