Record 134.8 Million Viewers Watch Super Bowl; Rating is 45.4

NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s Super Bowl XXVIII drew the most U.S. viewers of any sponsored television program and recorded a slight ratings increase.

The telecast of the Dallas Cowboys’ 30-13 victory over the Bills in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome was seen by more than 134.8 million viewers and drew a 45.4 rating and a 66% share of the total television audience, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co.

Last year’s game had a 45.1 rating, 66% of the total television audience and a then-record audience of 133.4 million viewers.

This year’s rating is the 10th-highest of all time and the highest for a Super Bowl since CBS earned a 45.8 for Super Bowl XXI between the Denver Broncos and New York Giants in 1987.

CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl XVI in 1982 between the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers remains the ratings leader with a 49.1. The discrepancy between ratings and viewership records is because of the increase in population.