Super Bowl ratings decline but news not all bad

Credit: Hannah Foslien

Credit: Hannah Foslien

A thrilling Super Bowl win for the Eagles over the Patriots did not prevent the game's ratings from declining for a third straight year.

According to numbers from Nielsen, Super Bowl LII earned a 47.4 rating.

That is lowest since 2010’s rating of 46.4, although 2018 marks the fourth time in the past nine years the game had a rating in the 47 range.

RELATED: Local connections on the Super Bowl champion Eagles

The best number of the past nine came three years ago when the Patriots’ dramatic win over the Seahawks posted a 49.7 rating.

NFL television ratings have been a hot topic, at least in media circles, for a couple of years now, and Sunday night’s game probably provides fuel for any narrative anyone wants to push.

Those eager to throw dirt on the league can latch onto the downward trend line.

However, Awful Announcing points out the drop was lower than the declines of the playoffs and the regular season compared to the previous year.

NBC's rating for the Super Bowl appears sturdy considering broader trends in NFL TV viewership. League ratings were down 10 percent in the regular season and down by various margins in the wild-card, divisional and conference championship playoff rounds, amid much debate over the cause of the declines.

NBC Sports PR department says the difference between ratings for the other playoff games and the Super Bowl was the highest ever measured, and this Eagles-Patriots matchup beat the 2005 Super Bowl between the same teams by nine percent.

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