Research — Feb 5, 2025
Nearly half of America may be watching the Super Bowl
By Keith Nissen
There is no other US pro sports event that can compare as far as reach and popularity. Super Bowl LIV will take place on Feb. 9 at the Superdome in New Orleans. A recent Consumer Insights survey found that 45% of internet adults in the US typically watch the Super Bowl.
➤ Nine in 10 football fans in the US watch the Super Bowl.
➤ Among surveyed markets outside of the US, India, Germany and the UK have the highest Super Bowl viewership.
➤ In the US, the Kansas City Chiefs are the most popular NFL team nationwide. The Philadelphia Eagles are ranked seventh most popular.
➤ Super Bowl viewership spans all age groups but is skewed heavily toward men.
The S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan third-quarter 2024 Consumer Insights survey found that 45% of internet adults (ages 18 and over) typically watch the Super Bowl. Approximately nine of 10 (87%) football fans, 90% of all NFL fans and 91% of sports bettors in the US say they watch or plan on watching. Among NFL fans, 15% typically place a bet on NFL games.
The Super Bowl also has a modest audience outside the US. For example, 13% of surveyed internet adults in India said they typically watch the Super Bowl. This represents 69% of American football fans in India. The Super Bowl is also a popular sporting event in Germany and the UK with 10% and 9%, respectively, of surveyed internet adults typically watching the game. The Super Bowl has a modest following in other surveyed markets that ranged from about 2% to 6% of respondents. In general, the majority of American football fans, wherever they may be, tend to watch the Super Bowl.
TV's Fox Sports must certainly be elated to be broadcasting the contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. US survey results show that the Kansas City Chiefs are the most popular NFL football team nationwide with 16% of total NFL viewers being fans. The Philadelphia Eagles are not far behind, in seventh place, claiming 8% of total NFL viewers as fans.
Yet, the fan bases of these teams look quite different. For instance, the survey data shows that the Eagle’s fan base is split 50/50 between in-region and out-of-region fans. The in-region fan base represents those living in Pennsylvania and adjacent states. Densely populated metro areas in and around Philadelphia contribute to a high percentage of in-region fans. In contrast, only one-quarter (27%) of Kansas City Chiefs fans nationwide reside in Kansas or adjacent states. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of those that follow the Chiefs are out-of-region fans.
Viewership of the Super Bowl tends to span all age groups. The survey found that Super Bowl viewing closely mirrors that of the overall internet population. The data shows that Super Bowl viewership tends to be skewed slightly toward older adults, especially those 65 years of age and older. Viewership among young adults, under 34 years of age, were slightly understated when compared to the total survey. The survey also found that Super Bowl viewership is substantially higher among men (61%) than women.
Use this link to access supplemental Consumer Insights survey data in Excel format.
The Kagan third quarter 2024 US Consumer Insights survey was conducted during September of 2024, consisting of 2,500 internet adults. The margin of error is +/-1.9 ppts at the 95% confidence level. The 2024 Kagan European Consumer Insights survey was conducted in December of 2024, consisting of 1,000 internet adults in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland and the UK. The Asia-Pacific Consumer Insights survey was conducted in X, consisting of 1,000 internet adults in China, India and South Korea. The margin of error for both international surveys is +/-3.0 ppts at the 95% confidence level. Survey data should only be used to identify general market characteristics and directional trends.
This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.
Consumer Insights is a regular feature from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan.