Old friends gave Super Bowl a ratings boost in Kansas City

Kansas City’s more than passing interest in the Super Bowl was reflected in the television ratings.

Among local markets, Kansas City ranked 10th with a 52.2 rating, which tied Seattle, and a 73 share.

The Philadelphia Eagles won a 41-33 thriller over the New England Patriots in the game, broadcast on NBC. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, the game’s MVP, was the Chiefs’ backup last season. Head coach Doug Pederson was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator under Andy Reid before moving to Philadelphia after the 2015 season.

The highest-scoring game in the Super Bowl’s 52-year history delivered a 47.4/70 overnight rating/share, according to The Nielsen Company. The early numbers indicate this was the ninth-highest-rated Super Bowl but took a 3 percent ratings drop from last year’s title game involving the Patriots and Falcons.

The top local viewing market wasn’t Philadelphia or Boston. They ranked second and third respectively. Buffalo was the market among nation’s top 50, with a 56.4/78.

The halftime show featuring Justin Timberlake delivered a rating higher than the game, 48.1/70.

NFL regular-season ratings were down 9.7 percent over the previous season. Despite the drop, 20 of the 30 highest rated shows on television in 2017 were football games.

The regular-season ratings decline has been attributed to fans upset with players protesting during the national anthem and the dilution of the product through Thursday Night Football, which was broadcast on NBC, CBS, NFL Network and Amazon Prime this season.

Super Bowl top 10 local TV markets

1. Buffalo, 56.4/78

2. Philadelphia, 56.2/81

3. Boston, 55.9/81

4. Minneapolis-St. Paul, 54.9/82

4. Pittsburgh, 54.9/73

6. Norfolk, 53.9/73

7. New Orleans, 53.0/72

8. Providence, 52.5/77

9. Milwaukee, 52.3/73

10. Seattle, 52.2/79

10. Kansas City, 52.2/73

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Old friends gave Super Bowl a ratings boost in Kansas City."