Online sportsbook statistics indicated that Super Bowl XLIV between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts was the most watched television program ever. It surpassed the 1983 finale of “M*A*S*H” as an estimated 106.5 million people watched the game. It sure was a popular Super Bowl around the world and at the sportsbook.
Online sportsbook numbers had everything coming together to make Super Bowl XLIV something special. It was a great online sportsbook matchup between two high profile teams and it was a close game right to the end. The game also broke last year’s Super Bowl online sportsbook record when 98.7 million people watched Pittsburgh beat Arizona.
Online sportsbook numbers really were superb for this year’s Super Bowl. Many people around the world wanted to see the Saints win simply because of the rebuilding the city has done since Hurricane Katrina. It didn’t hurt that the Colts had the game’s most recognizable quarterback in Peyton Manning either. Getting past the “M*A*S*H” record is something that many people thought would not happen but a perfect storm made it possible.
The SuperBowl was great to virtually everyone including those at the sportsbook. CBS was expected to earn more in advertising revenue than for any other previous Super Bowl they have had. The ratings were superb and the online sportsbook also did well. Sportsbook bettors seemed pleased even if they didn’t win since the game was a good one.
It should be noted that there are a lot more people and TV’s than there were back in 1983. The audience share that M*A*S*H got in 1983 was about 77 percent of all homes with TV’s on while the Super Bowl was estimated to have gotten a 68. Also keep in mind that the Nielsen ratings only measure the TV’s in the United States. What also helped CBS and the overall ratings was a blizzard in the East that had a lot more people at home than normal where they might have been at SuperBowl parties. It should also be noted that around the sportsbook world, it is likely that some World Cup soccer games got higher ratings.
Online sportsbook stats indicated that the top commercials for the SuperBowl were by Dorito’s and Snickers. A CBS promo that included David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey was also popular with viewers.