Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever

NEW YORK (AP) - The New Orleans Saints' victory over

Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million

people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the

most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co.

said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its

ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second

Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning

propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all

season.

"It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see

in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched

Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record

viewership for a Super Bowl - last year's game between Arizona and

Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen

said.

The "M-A-S-H" record has proven as durable and meaningful in

television as Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs was in baseball

until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell

which program was really watched by more people. There's a margin

for error in such numbers, and Nielsen's Monday estimate was

preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due

Tuesday.

"It's significant for all of the members of the broadcasting

community," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. "For anyone who

wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people

watched this program. You can't find that anywhere else."

Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than

in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football

in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well

when selling advertising for next season, he said.

The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan

Alda, the star of "M-A-S-H," and the slugger whose record was

beaten.

"If the `M-A-S-H' audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in

large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New

Orleans to triumph in every way possible," Alda said. "I am, too,

and I couldn't be happier for them. I love that city."

There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9

million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77

percent of homes with TVs on were watching "M-A-S-H" in 1983,

compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.

Nielsen also measures only the United States, and it's possible

some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate

measurement of television audiences outside the United States is

spotty at best.

Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare

a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didn't take into account large

numbers of people watching "M-A-S-H" communally, which is often

the case for football games, too.

"Not to say I'm competitive, but in part we are talking about

sports," he said. "And I actually AM competitive."

McManus didn't want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong

viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The

NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences

since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its

appeal to sports fans has also helped.

A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus

acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a

10-0 lead - a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the

game - but New Orleans roared back.

The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans,

the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said.

More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead

of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job

counting viewers in homes than outside of them.

"Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a

good combination for us," McManus said.

The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new

CBS series "Undercover Boss" that premiered after the game. An

estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series

about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in

their own companies, Nielsen said. That's third only to a 1996

"Friends" and 2001 "Survivor" as the most-watched program after

the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Dorito's was a big winner in a measurement of

interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc.

said the snack company's ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep

his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in

15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder.

The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and

Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker's ad with

Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.

In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials

than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused

live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of

TiVo's research department.

By DAVID BAUDER-AP Television Writer

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)