Kansas City, New Orleans contribute to lower Super Bowl TV ratings
The Super Bowl overnight television ratings hit a 10-year low, and the game didn’t rate as well in Kansas City as previous Super Bowls.
Kansas City’s 46.4 rating topped the national number of 44.9 for the New England Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on CBS. Kansas City was 20th of the top 56 markets.
Last year, Kansas City ranked 10th with a 52.2 rating for the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the Patriots.
The biggest drop in one market belonged to New Orleans. Saints fans turned their back on the game, pledging to not watch after a controversial no-call that went against their team helped pave the way for the Rams’ victory in the NFC Championship Game.
New Orleans finished last among the 56 markets with a 26.1 rating. Last year, New Orleans was the seventh-ranked market at 53.0.
The Chiefs likely would have improved the national numbers had they won the AFC Championship Game, The Patriots’ overtime victory at Arrowhead Stadium was the second most-watched AFC title game since 1977.
Boston was the top market for Sunday’s game at 57.1 followed by Buffalo, N.Y., and Richmond, Va.
This was the lowest-rated Super Bowl since the Pittsburgh Steelers-Arizona Cardinals game in 2009, and marked the fourth straight year the game’s overnight ratings declined.