The tally is in, and Rihanna’s halftime show reached more viewers that the game. The news was announced in a tweet late Monday evening by the Fox Sports public relations account.
Fox’s broadcast of the big game averaged 113 million viewers across all platforms. That’s a slight, 1 percent improvement over Super Bowl LVI a year ago and a six-year high for the game.
NBC sports reported 112.3 million viewers across all platforms last year, but using different metrics for streaming than in the past.
Rihanna’s halftime performance, which averaged 118.7 million viewers and was the second-most-watched halftime show on record (behind the Katy Perry/Left Shark spectacle of 2015), Fox says.
Just behind Perry, with 117.5 million viewers, is Lady Gaga’s 2017 performance.
Bruno Mars outdid himself in 2016 because his 2014 solo headline at the Superbowl ranks just after the trio when counting viewership. His solo show gathered a total of 112.2 million viewers that year. He also recruited the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a guest for the show.
Finally, Madonna now sits as having the fifth-largest Super Bowl halftime show viewership. Her 2012 performance achieved 111.4 million viewers. The singer brought on numerous special guests include LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, CeeLo Green, and M.I.A. She also collaborated with Cirque du Soleil for her 12-minute-long set.
?? SHINE BRIGHT ??
Sunday's #SBLVII #AppleMusicHalftime show featuring #Rihanna delivered 118.7 million viewers. pic.twitter.com/VCCccEWWAW
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) February 13, 2023
Congrats RiRi.
