NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Monday morning that Super Bowl XLVI was "on par of ahead of" the 2011 Super Bowl in terms of TV ratings. Media reporters John Ourand (Sports Business Journal) and Richard Sandomir(New York Times) have the details on the early ratings released.
According to the overnight numbers, the TV ratings were slightly down from last year's game -- about a tenth of a point. Last year's was a 47.9 and early returns say this year's was a 47.8, which means last year's game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers still holds the ratings record. This year's Super Bowl is the third highest rating.
Here's the top five highest overnight ratings in Super Bowl history:
T1. 47.9/71 - Super Bowl XLV, Packers 31-Steelers 25, Fox
T1. 47.9/68 - Super Bowl XXI, Giants 39-Broncos 20, CBS
3. 47.8/71 - Super Bowl XLVI, Giants 21-Patriots 17, NBC
4. 47.4/NA - Super Bowl XIV, Steelers 31-Rams 19, CBS
5. 46.9/70 - Super Bowl XX, Bears 46-Patriots 10, NBC
There's still no information on the total number of viewers. The record set last year was 111 million viewers so this game may come very close to that number.
In New York, the game drew a 49.7 rating, which is the second highest ever in that market behind the Giants first Super Bowl. Boston had a 56.7 rating. Madonna was a little more popular than the game itself as the Super Bowl halftime show drew a 48.3 overnight, slightly ahead of the 47.8 for the game.
For more on the Patriots and their Super Bowl run, check out SB Nation's Patriots blog,Pats Pulpit as well as SB Nation Boston. For more on the Giants and their Super Bowl appearance, visit Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York. For all news and information regarding Super Bowl XLVI, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated Super Bowl hub.