Go figure: Last night's Super Bowl was the most-watched program in U.S. history

When was the last time the Super Bowl was as bad as it was last night? Going by margin of victory, it’s the first Cowboys/Bills game in the early 90s. Going by the extent of the domination on the field, I guess it’s … Buccaneers/Raiders? Somehow I feel like that doesn’t count because no one really cared about it.

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In a few years, as my memory of it fades, I’ll remember this game as the one where the Broncos gave up a 43-point safety on the first snap. And yet, basically the entire country tuned in. Why that is when it was so one-sided so early, I don’t know. I can only assume that America collectively wanted to be there when it came time for the ultimate Manning Face. And man, did Peyton — and Eli — deliver.

It felt like a vintage Elway Super Bowl from the 80s, which made it fit right in with that sweet-ass Radio Shack commercial. The only consolation I can offer Broncos fans is this: I’m a Jets fan. As bad as you feel, it could be worse.

Last night’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox was both the most-watched event in U.S. TV history, and the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, drawing an average of 111.5 million viewers.

The ratings were something of a surprise, because the game was a blowout, with the Seattle Seahawks dominating the Denver Broncos, and early overnight ratings suggested strong, but not record-breaking, numbers. The game barely topped Super Bowl XLVI, which aired two years ago on NBC, which averaged 111.3 million viewers, and featured a close game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

The ratings continue to show that the Super Bowl is a juggernaut unlike anything else on TV. Three of the last four Super Bowls have set TV ratings records. While most broadcast programming is losing viewers in an increasingly fragmented video landscape, football–and the Super Bowl in particular–remain untouched by the changes happening in the rest of the media industry.

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The halftime show with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which was superb even though Flea ended up playing air bass, peaked at 115 million viewers. Look on the bright side, Coloradans. At least Tebow had a big audience for his excellent T-Mobile ads.

Here, read this. It’ll cheer you up. Not even Manningeddon could affect Peyton’s classiness on the field.

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