2026 Super Bowl scores 124.9 million viewers, second-largest audience in history
Defense wins championships and Super Bowl LX showed it can get ratings too.
NBC’s Sunday telecast of the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots averaged 124.9 million viewers according to Nielsen data, below Fox’s record of 127.7 million set last year.
Seattle’s stifling defense, preventing New England from getting on track in the game at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., was appreciated more by serious football fans than casual observers. But controversy surrounding the event with halftime performer Bad Bunny likely fueled additional interest.
Bad Bunny’s halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers, higher than the entire game. The performance aired after the second quarter, when the game was still close, and reached a peak of 137.8 million viewers.
The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny irked right-wing commentators who objected to having a performer sing only in Spanish at America’s first sporting event of the year. Bad Bunny has also been outspoken about the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics to deport undocumented immigrants. He avoided the continental United States on his latest tour, fearing his fans would be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The right-wing activist group Turning Point USA presented an alternative halftime show on YouTube, which surpassed 6 million viewers, a surprisingly high number given that details of the program were only revealed days before game day. A concert featuring Kid Rock and several lesser-known country artists did not receive a good critical reception on social media.
But the size of the audience showed that a red-hot musical act could attract a significant portion of the audience already gathered to watch the game.
“More groups should compete at halftime and not in a political way,” said an executive at the rival network, not authorized to comment publicly. “It would be a good move for HBO Max or another company that doesn’t own the NFL rights.”
Nielsen’s improvement in its measurement of viewing via Internet connections and set-top boxes — which boosted NFL TV audiences throughout the season — likely also contributed to the Super Bowl LX figure. The additional data was incorporated into TV audiences starting in September.
An additional 3.3 million people watched the Spanish-language show on Telemundo. NBC did not release data for viewing on its Peacock, saying only that it was the biggest day ever for the streaming platform.
NBC sold the commercial run of the game for an average price of $8 million for a 30-second spot, with some going as high as $10 million. USA Today’s annual “Ad Meter” panel chose Budweiser’s “American Icons” as its favorite TV commercial.
