The NBC network’s live coverage of the New England Patriots’ victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Super Bowl American football championship game on Sunday generated the largest US television audience ever recorded.
Audience measurement company Nielsen said that the average audience for the game was 114.4 million viewers, eclipsing last year’s average of 112.2 million for the 2014 Super Bowl.
Coverage of the Patriots’ 28-24 win peaked at 120.8 million during the final minutes, with New England denying the Seahawks a game-winning touchdown in the dying seconds through Malcolm Butler’s interception on the goal line.
The figures from Nielsen do not account for groups at sports bars or viewing parties.
The half-time show featuring singer Katy Perry attracted an average of 118.5 million viewers – an audience record for the mid-game musical extravaganza.
More than 1.3 million people also watched the game through NBC’s online stream during the final minutes of the showpiece.