As the initial ratings and viewership numbers roll in for Super Bowl XLIV -- with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that the number of people who watched the game set an all-time U.S. television record -- one of the best things for football fans about the game was that CBS Sports did a strong job focusing on the game itself and not all the ancillary activities or celebrities.Play-by-play man Jim Nantz and analyst Phil Simms were solid, and the broadcast touched on key news (the ankle injury of Colts DE Dwight Freeney) without going overboard. Important replays were available and there were no obvious flaws. It was just a solid broadcast of a good game.
In terms of those viewership, The Hollywood Reporter put the number at more than 106 million -- which would be more than the series finale of "M.A.S.H." in 1983. That show has been the standard for major-event TV ratings for nearly three decades.
Also, viewership for the Colts-Saints game was up from 98.7 million viewers fom the Cardinals-Steelers matchup in Super Bowl XLIII.
In the past five years, viewership for the game has increased drastically -- from 86.1 million in 2005 to 106 million this year. It increased during each year in the five-year span.
Still, the latest Super Bowl did set a record in terms of ratings, which measure the percentage of U.S. households watching. The "M.A.S.H." episode attracted more than 60 percent of TV viewers while the Colts-Saints game drew about 45 percent.