Everything from Souper Bowl to HUTs

You're going to hear a lot about the Nielsen ratings record for Super Bowl XL since it aired in the most US households in Super Bowl history. Here's the top ten list (source: Nielsen Media Research weekly ratings):

• 45.8 million households: 2/5/2006, Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
  
• 45.0: 2/6/2005, New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
  
• 44.9: 2/1/2004, New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29 (OT)
  
• 44.2: 1/28/1996, Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
  
• 43.6: 1/30/2000, St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
  
• 43.6: 1/25/1998, Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
  
• 43.4: 1/26/2003, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21
  
• 42.9: 1/30/1994, Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13
  
• 42.6: 2/3/2002, New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
  
• 42.0: 1/26/1997, Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21

Big deal!

If you look at the list, you'll notice that the last three Super Bowls each held this same title. With the recent housing boom and Nielsen recounts, the number of TV households has increased each of the last five years. Take a look at the following stats:

• 1999-2000 season: 100.8 million TV households
  
• 2000-2001: 100.8
  
• 2001-2002: 105.5
  
• 2002-2003: 106.7
  
• 2003-2004: 108.4
  
• 2004-2005: 109.6
  
• 2005-2006: 110.2

What about the percentage of households that watched the game? What if you look at Super Bowl XL's rating instead? Here's the top ten list (source: Nielsen Media Research weekly ratings):

• 49.1% of households: 1/24/1982, San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
  
• 48.6: 1/30/1983, Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17
  
• 47.2: 1/26/1986, Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
  
• 47.2: 1/15/1978, Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10
  
• 47.1: 1/21/1979, Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
  
• 46.4: 1/20/1985, San Francisco 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16
  
• 46.3: 1/20/1980, Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
  
• 46.1: 1/28/1996, Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
  
• 46.0: 1/22/1984, Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9
  
• 45.8: 1/25/1987, New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20

You'll notice that none of the last ten Super Bowls appear in this list. Who knew that Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl (and the new Kitty Halftime Show) had such a huge ratings effect? With so many entertainment choices, we're unlikely to ever see a new entry on this list. Super Bowl XL finished a distant 25th place.

Unless the game is extraordinary, you can expect 40.4-41.6% of households to watch the Super Bowl these days. The last six Super Bowls all fell in this range. Super Bowl XXXIV (1/30/2000, St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16) was the last Super Bowl to break out of this range when it scored a 43.3 rating for a game that went down to the final play.