Super Bowl LVIII has been one of the most memorable championship showdowns in recent memory. After a low-scoring first half, the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs made a remarkable comeback, evening the score and heading into overtime. The star-studded arena, from Taylor Swift and Ice Spice to Usher’s incredible halftime performance—the entire event was as good as they come.
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Considering all these factors, it was only natural that Super Bowl 58 had the potential to garner record-breaking viewership numbers. And boy did the event break some numbers. For starters, the Big Game recorded the highest number of people watching the same broadcast in TV history—an average of 123.4 million viewers, Variety reports. Out of 1123.4 million, almost 112 million tuned into CBS, thus recording the largest audience for a single network. The rest of the 11.4 million viewers switched to Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision, CBS Sports, and NFL digital properties garnering record-breaking numbers individually.
As per data from Nielsen, the total number of viewers who tuned in at any portion of the game is recorded at 202 million. To put things in perspective, this is an impressive 10% rise from last year’s numbers at 184 million. NFL fans were thrilled with the numbers, and rightly so. During the Super Bowl, there was no shortage of speculation on X (formerly Twitter), with users labeling the game boring and comments like “no one is watching.” The NFL community, therefore, was delighted with these numbers.
But 100 people on Twitter said they weren’t going to watch anymore and declared the NFL over?
— Lex Jurgen (@Lex_Jurgen) February 13, 2024
So much for no one watching it
— シ (@BSP_Sully) February 13, 2024
But wait, I was told that millions and millions of Americans stopped watching the NFL and would boycott the Super Bowl because it was too “woke.”
— Tonya Bailey (@tbailey1976) February 13, 2024
Swifties meanwhile declared Taylor Swift’s presence as the reason for these numbers.
The Taylor Swift Effect
— Jon Evans (@maybejonevans) February 13, 2024
the Taylor Swift tax is actually insane wtf https://t.co/4LDl1900ut
— Zero.Zero (@zero_logout) February 13, 2024
While the world gloated about KC Chiefs’ last-ditch winner, the silent winner of the night was Ben Affleck’s Dunkin Donut commercial.
Ben Affleck’s Dunkin Donut Super Bowl Commercial Has Taken Over The Internet
Dunkin Donuts over the last two years has been the king in leveraging the coveted Super Bowl commercial spot. The eatery brand last year made waves when they roped in power couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in a never-before-seen avatar. After much success with their 2023 Super Bowl commercial with the duo, the donut company continued the story this year, albeit with a bigger cast.
The 2024 commercial featured Tom Brady, Matt Damon, Jack Harlow, and Fat Joe, along with the power couple. The commercial is filled with humor as Ben Affleck, in an attempt to get into JLo’s upcoming album, performs a Dunkin Donut-themed pop song, much to everyone’s amusement. Overall, it was a family entertainer, with Matt Damon’s killer one-liners and Tom Brady’s surprise role as “Touchdown Tom” playing the keys.
The commercial struck a positive chord with netizens. Hence, people around the world took to “X” to share their thoughts on the now viral commercial.
The greatest add in TV history.
Dunkin Donuts
Featuring Tom Brady, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and J Lo.
Incredible.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) February 12, 2024
Without a doubt it was the best. Classic!!
— Tyler Whitehead (@Whitey131313) February 12, 2024
Legend
— Matey (@wowMatey) February 12, 2024
While the majority of the netizens were raving about the commercial, one “X” user asked a very valid query – “When was the last time Tom Brady ate a donut?”
Great commercial! But let’s be real. When was the last time @TomBrady ate a donut? https://t.co/x0Kh5yUzyI
— James O’Leary (@jamesoleary87) February 12, 2024
All said and done, Super Bowl LVIII was a complete success from every metric. From the match to the commercials, every single aspect was delivered and how. Here’s hoping for more success in the coming years!