"Most Viewed Since Moon Landing" Swift's 'Kiss of the Century' Watched by Over 100 Million

by Kim Heeyun

Published 14 Feb.2024 15:08(KST)

Updated 14 Feb.2024 15:25(KST)

Thanks to American pop star Taylor Swift, the 58th Super Bowl of the National Football League (NFL) recorded the highest viewership ever for a championship game.

American pop star Taylor Swift (right) is kissing her boyfriend, Kansas City's Travis Kelce, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the 11th (local time), where the Super Bowl game between the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers took place. To watch the game, Swift flew 8,900 km by private jet immediately after her Tokyo Dome concert.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

According to foreign media including CBS, which broadcast the Super Bowl on the 13th (local time), 123.4 million people watched the live broadcast of the '58th Super Bowl' held on the 11th at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This number combines viewers who watched through the CBS TV network and streaming platforms such as Paramount+.

This is the highest average viewership in Super Bowl history, surpassing last year's 115 million viewers for the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

This year's viewership increased by about 7%, or 8 million viewers, compared to last year. According to CNN, this viewership figure is the highest since the Apollo 11 moon landing broadcast in 1969 (estimated to have about 125 to 150 million viewers). Including those who watched only parts of the broadcast, the total number is estimated to exceed 200 million.

CNN analyzed that this year's Super Bowl viewership record was driven not only by the thrilling content of the game, which went into overtime and ended with a comeback victory, but also by Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce's love story attracting viewers who usually have no interest in the NFL, leading to the high ratings.

After a fierce battle, the Kansas City Chiefs, with Kelce on the team, secured a comeback victory, and the scene of Kelce and Swift sharing a public kiss while holding the championship trophy became a major topic.

Swift, who broke the Super Bowl viewership record, has once again proven her influence as the most culturally, politically, and socially influential icon in the United States.

Fueled by Swift's popularity and the dramatic game content, local media reported that this year's Super Bowl advertising cost soared to about $7 million (approximately 9.3 billion KRW) for a 30-second commercial.