Super Bowl LIX Dominates February TV Viewing

The 59th Super Bowl broke viewership records last month. Nielsen’s February The Gauge ™ report includes viewership trends across traditional TV and streaming.

 

Super Bowl LIX

  • The Big Game had a record-breaking 127.7 million viewers waiting from FOX’s broadcast, including streaming from simulcast Tubi. These record-breaking numbers illustrate the impact of cross-platform distribution.
  • While other sporting events, including the Super Bowl, were provided on streaming services, Tubi’s free ad supported streaming (FAST) allowed the game to reach more viewers.
  • Tubi represented a third of all streaming usage and multiplied its audience by nearly 16 times from its January 2025 average.
  • Super Bowl viewers on Tubi were 38% more likely to be 18-34 (skewing slightly female) than total game average.

Overall Trends

  • Broadcast (21.2%) and cable (23.2%) combined account for 44.4% of TV viewing in February.
  • Streaming accounts for 43.5% of total viewing time this month.
  • Broadcast dramas held the largest share of broadcast viewing at 27%, an increase by 15% from January 2025.
  • Cable news represented 27% of all cable viewing in February, increasing by 8% from last month.

Most Viewed Programs

  • Most Viewed Broadcast Programs – Super Bowl programming (including pre- and post-game), followed by NBC’s Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary and the Grammys on CBS, with 16.5 million viewers and 16.2 million viewers respectively.
  • Most Viewed Cable Programs – The first NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game on ESPN, with 9.3 million viewers. The next 13 top cable telecasts were all on FOX News Channel.
  • Most Viewed Streaming Programs – The Night Agent on Netflix with 6 billion viewing minutes, with the second being Bluey on Disney+ with 4.2 billion minutes.

Source: Nielsen, March 2025. “The Gauge ™ : FOX’s Successful Cross-Platform Super Bowl Strategy Drives A Huge Day in Television Viewing.”

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