Calling it the most live-streamed Super Bowl ever, NBC said the stream of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots delivered an average minute audience of 2.02 million viewers, and peaked at 3.1 million concurrent streams.

That streaming audience included consumers who tuned in via the NBC Sports app, at NBCSports.com, NBC.com “TV Everywhere,” the En Vivo app, NFL.com, NFL Mobile from Verizon, the Yahoo Sports app and Verizon’s go90 offering.

NBC Sports Digital’s live stream of Super Bowl LII, powered by its Playmaker Media unit, also saw fans consume 633.7 million live streaming minutes of the game across 6.1 million unique devices, up 185% and 112%, respectively, from NBC’s last live Super Bowl live stream in February 2015 (Super Bowl XLIX between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks).

RELATED: NBC Sports Digital Launches ‘Playmaker Media’

NBC also said the in-game average minute audience (AMA) of 2.02 million was up 152% from its streaming coverage of Super Bowl XLIX (800,000 AMA).

RELATED: Super Bowl OTT Feeds Don’t Go Off Glitch-Free

For Super Bowl LI last year between the Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, Fox delivered an AMA of 1.72 million, up 224% from Fox’s previous Super Bowl live stream in 2014. Fox also said that the stream of Super Bowl LI pulled in 4.42 million unique viewers.

RELATED: Fox’s Super Bowl Stream Nets Average Minute Audience of 1.72 Million

“We are excited by the record-breaking consumption as well as the quality of the streams we delivered to football fans,” Rick Cordella, EVP and general manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports Group, said in a statement, which comes as NBC Olympics prepares to live stream 1,800 hours of the Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea.

RELATED: NBC Olympics to Live-Stream 1,800 Hours of PyeongChang Winter Games

Though the latest numbers again show the growing popularity of streaming, the TV audience remains far greater, as NBC said the game posted a total audience delivery of 106 million viewers across all platforms based on Fast National data released today by Nielsen Company and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Viewership peaked at 112.3 million from 10:00-10:15 p.m., during the game’s fourth quarter.

NBC noted that the numbers don’t include out-of-home viewers, which won’t be available until Thursday (February 8) from Nielsen. OOH will increase the audience “by several million people,” the network added.

RELATED: fuboTV Says Daily Trials Hit Record During Super Bowl Sunday

TiVo has released its annual post-game analysis of commercials and game action that TiVo households found most engaging, based on watching or re-watching moments relative to the programming immediately before and after. The game, played indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium in frigid Minneapolis, went down to the last play, with the Philadelphia Eagles holding on to beat the favored New England Patriots by 41-33. A desperate, long pass by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady toward tight end Rob Gronkowski fell incomplete to end the game. 

The top three in-game moments were crucial plays, including one that was particularly unexpected: 

-- Eagles tight end Zach Ertz making a touchdown catch to give the Eagles the lead by 38-33 late in the fourth quarter.

-- Nick Foles, the Eagles quarterback, catching a pass from reserve tight end Trey Burton in a trick play on fourth down and goal to go, shortly before the end of the first half.

-- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady being sacked and fumbling away the ball with about 2 minutes to go in the game.

As for the most engaging commercials, these were the top 10, as reported by TiVo (with links to YouTube's Adblitz site):

PepsiCo: Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice: “Battle”

NFL: “Board Games”

Pringles: “Wow”

Michelob: “The Perfect Fit”

Squarespace: “Make It Happen"

M&Ms: “Human”

Febreze: “The Only Man Whose Bleep Don’t Stink”

Movie Trailer: “Solo: A Star Wars Story"

Tide: “It’s a Tide Ad”

Tourism Australia: “Dundee: This Isn’t a Movie”

fuboTV, the sports-oriented virtual MVPD, notched a record-breaking number of daily trials Sunday amid Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots, company co-founder and CEO David Gandler told staffers in a memo.

RELATED: Super Bowl OTT Feeds Don’t Go Off Glitch-Free

Per the memo, obtained by Multichannel News, fuboTV also saw more than 150,000 total viewers with average concurrent per minute streams coming in at just below 60,000 during Super Bowl Sunday.

fuboTV announced last October that the service had eclipsed 100,000 subscribers, but has yet to provide an updated sub count.

fuboTV, the exec added, saw 57% of viewing take place on TV-connected devices, and that the service turned in a record low buffer rate of 0.49% from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET.

Heading into the weekend, fuboTV said it added 23 additional local NBC stations, expanding its coverage from 51% to 70% of U.S. households. That compared to its local Fox coverage (75%) and CBS coverage (63%).

Altice USA unleashed an ad featuring international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to highlight Altice One, the operator’s recently launched all-services hub.

The 30-second spot was run regionally in Altice USA’s Optimum footprint, which is made up of  cable systems that came way of Altice’s acquisition of Cablevision Systems in 2016.

Last year, Cox Communications also bought time regionally in San Diego during Super Bowl LI to promote one of its new offerings, Panoramic WiFi. Comcast took a similar approach in 2016, when it ran a spot showcasing X1 during Super Bowl 50 on CBS in dozens of the MSO’s local markets.

The operator launched Altice One in November, offering a device that supports Altice USA’s video, broadband and voice service, along with built-in WiFi, voice navigation, and the integration of select OTT apps. Last week, Altice USA completed an integration of Netflix on Altice One across its Optimum footprint.

RELATED: Altice USA Integrates Netflix Across Optimum Footprint on New Platform

In the Super Bowl spot, marking first campaign from Altice USA and agency partner Y&R, follows Ronaldo as the “discovers” American-style football to the tune I've Never Seen Anything Like It. The Real Madrid star is outfitted with full pads and helmet, running and route on the gridiron and punctuated by his soccer skills as he heads the pigskin through the uprights.

Watch it below:

Altice USA also posted an additional up spot featuring Ronaldo -- Optimum: Futebol Vs. Football – that serves as an origin story on how the soccer star discovered this other form of football and found himself on the gridiron:

Super Bowl LII produced an exciting upset on the field as the underdog Philadelphia Eagles overcame the defending champion New England Patriots in a 41-33 shootout. 

The nail-biting game salvaged what was a so-so lineup of Super Bowl commercials, which have become as big an attraction for viewers as the football game itself. With many of the big commercials leaked prior to the game – especially those from television networks and streaming services -- it's tough for advertisers to surprise viewers with their ads, which were reported to cost more than $5 million on average for a 30-second spot.

That said, Netflix and HBO did make some news along with their Super Bowl commercial offerings. Netflix premiered a trailer for its movie The Cloverfield Paradox during the Super Bowl, and then surprised fans of the horror franchise by announcing that the film would be offered on the streaming service immediately after the Eagles-Patriots game.

The Cloverfield Paradox finished among the top 10 Super Bowl commercials that received the most attention from viewers during the game, according to research company TVision Insights.

The stunt was touted by none other than Netflix’s 13th director/producer Ava DuVernay, who tweeted last night about the surprise launch of the movie.

Woman of color-led, sci-fi thriller released worldwide day + date w/ big Netflix muscle for black director, his super producer + POC cast. No advance press, ads, trailer. Straight to the people. Gamechanger. Congrats to helmer #JuliusOnah + my dears JJ, Gugu, David. #Cloverfieldpic.twitter.com/m186Hprhqz

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 5, 2018

HBO also made news last night by announcing the April 11 premiere of the second season of its sci/fi western series Westworld via the series's Super Bowl trailer. The Emmy Award-winning series boasts a star-studded returning cast featuring Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright and James Marsden.

Other OTT networks stepped on the Super Bowl advertising field last night with spots for their respective new shows, including Amazon Prime, which touted its new series Jack Ryan -- based on Tom Clancy’s political/thriller novels – and Hulu, which debuted the first spot for its Castle Rock anthology series from Stephen King.

Below are the TV ads that aired during the Super Bowl:

The Cloverfield Paradox – Netflix

Westworld – HBO

Castle Rock – Hulu

Jack Ryan – Amazon

Bud Light’s commercial featuring the Bud Light Knight got the most attention from viewers during the Super Bowl Sunday night, according to rankings from research company TVision Insights.

NBC charged more than $5 million on average for the 30-second spots, so it is important to marketers that their messages register with viewers while they are grabbing food or talking to friends during commercial breaks during the big game. Of course, there are many viewers watching the Super Bowl at least in part to see the commercials.

RELATED: NBC Says Super Bowl Commercials Sold Out 

TVision Inights says the Bud Light ad scored an index of 130.8, which means the spot captured 30.8% better attention than the average ad.

RELATED: TiVo to Let Users Skip the Game, Watch the Commercials 

The rest of TVision Insights’ top 10 Super Bowl commercials are

2. E*Trade - This is Getting Old - 123.
3. Mountain Dew/Doritos - Doritos Blaze vs Mountain Dew Ice - 116.9
4. BlacTure - Be Celebrated - 116.3
5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Mission: Impossible - Fallout - 114.2
6. Avocados from Mexico - #GuacWorld - 113.7
7. NFL - Touchdown Celebration - 112.4
8. M&Ms - Human - 112.1
9. Tide - It's a Tide Ad - 111.1
10. Netflix: The Cloverfield Paradox - The Cloverfield Paradox - 110.9

Watch the Bud Light spot below: 

Read more at B&C. 

HBO’s Emmy-winning western-themed sci-fi series Westworld will premiere its second season on April 22, the network said Sunday.

The drama series, which chronicles the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin,  finished its first season as the network’s most watched freshman series ever, said network officials. HBO released the Westworld season two spot during Sunday’s Super Bowl LII telecast on NBC, marking the network’s first Super Bowl ad in 20 years. 

Returning cast members starring in Westworld’s second season include Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris and Jeffrey Wright. Westworld was created for television by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who also serve as executive producers along with J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Roberto Patino, Richard Lewis and Ben Stephenson

Again proving that the stability of OTT-delivered video is improving but not yet perfect, particularly during highly-watched, tent-pole events, events, tonight’s stream of Super Bowl LII did not go off completely glitch-free for some internet TV providers.

Two virtual MVPDs – Hulu and PlayStation Vue – faced some technical snafus during the game, as the Philadelphia Eagles held on to defeat defending champs, the New England Patriots, 41-33.

Dan Rayburn, an expert in the streaming media world and a consultant and principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan, noted via Twitter that Sony PlayStation Vue was hit with “major problems” Sunday night in multiple cities:

Sony's live streaming service PlayStation Vue having major problems tonight, in multiple cities, keeping many from being able to watch the Super Bowl. Seems to be fixed in some cities but not others. Major platform outage. #PlayStationVuepic.twitter.com/iAvBPsdHs6

— Dan Rayburn (@DanRayburn) February 5, 2018

Another PlayStation Vue user lamented some issues during the early part of the game:

#PlaystationVue would go down right before the game starts. Thanks @PlayStation and @Sony. #SuperBowl

— GhostlyCannibal (@LakeB0d0mKiller) February 4, 2018

Hulu, which launched its live service last May, confirmed on Twitter that its service had experienced a “technical issue” toward the late part of the game, offering subs what it hoped to be a quick remedy:

We are aware of a technical issue that is impacting some of our NBC feeds. At this time we recommend users to close and relaunch their Hulu App as a workaround.

— Hulu Support (@hulu_support) February 5, 2018

Rayburn also tweeted about an issue that has dogged internet streaming of live TV since the get-go – latency that puts viewers well behind the regular broadcast. So if they are following the action on Twitter, they are learning about results before they see it on their “live” OTT feed:

The live stream of #SuperBowlLII is now over 2+ minutes behind the TV broadcast feed for me on my MacBook and using the NBC Sports app on the Fire TV box.

— Dan Rayburn (@DanRayburn) February 5, 2018

DirecTV Now, AT&T’s OTT TV service, apparently tried to handle the streaming load in part by implementing a second NBC stream via the service’s programming guide, while also stressing that its app for smartphones would not provide access to the game (due to Verizon’s current smartphone exclusive with the NFL):

No local affiliate available in your area? No problem!

Here's what you need to know to live stream the game this weekend with DIRECTV NOW: https://t.co/oxzStAOFK3pic.twitter.com/lw9EDnk23R

— DIRECTV NOW Help (@DIRECTVNowHelp) February 1, 2018

While NBC’s stream of Super Bowl LII appeared to perform solidly throughout the game, its regular TV broadcast induced a head-scratcher when the national feed went black temporarily during the second quarter, as the game was being sent to a commercial break (the blackout affected both OTT viewers and those who were watching NBC’s regular broadcast over-the-air or through a traditional MVPD).  

NBC chalked up the brief blackout to an “equipment failure” and claimed that viewers didn’t miss anything during that span:

From NBC Sports spokesperson:

"We had a brief equipment failure that we quickly resolved. No game action or commercial time were missed."

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) February 5, 2018

YouTube TV, meanwhile, couldn't resist the opportunity to talk up its own ad during the big game: 

Confession: We're watching the game for the ads. Well, this one in particular.

Cable-free live TV is here. https://t.co/vopApTjxQH

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) February 4, 2018

Under normal circumstances, many consume try to avoid TV commercials. Normalcy will again be removed this Sunday when the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, as it’s one of the few times that there’s a lot more attention paid to those super-expensive spots.

With that as the backdrop, TiVo will be experimenting with a “GameSkip” feature this Sunday that runs a reversal on the company’s commercial-skipping technology – commercials and the Super Bowl halftime show will be tagged as the “program” while the game itself marked as the commercial breaks.

“As usual, the SKIP function will not show up until after the game has finished,” Ted Malone, head of TiVo’s consumer business, noted in this post to the TiVo user community. “But, once the green SKIP icon shows up next to your recording of the game, you can watch the recording and use the SKIP or D button to jump to the commercial segments quickly. Padding the game with extra time at the end of the recording should not be a problem either. We'll keep tagging until the game is done.”

He noted that the GameSkip feature should work on all TiVo boxes that are “SKIP” enabled, but warned that “there are a few things that could go wrong,” as TiVo will be relying on closed-captioning data as a guide (not all commercials have closed captioning), and local/regional ads could also wreak some havoc.

TiVo’s not the only company that will focus on ways to lavish attention on Super Bowl commercials.

As part of several Super Bowl-facing enhancements being added to X1, Comcast will feature all of the commercials from Super Bowl LII on its VOD platform.

RELATED: Comcast’s X1 Gears Up for Super Bowl LII

And as Dave Zatz, who spotted the TiVo experiment points out on his blog: “Fortunately, all of the best Super Bowl commercials ultimately wind up on YouTube (often saddled with additional advertising, yay)." 

This is pretty crazy and cool. TiVo ad-skip technology will be inverted during the Super Bowl so we can skip the game and focus on the commercials! https://t.co/JLQ3I5DDES

— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) February 2, 2018

Pet lovers will have plenty of animal-themed programming to cuddle up to leading into and following Super Bowl LII this Sunday. 

While the big game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles doesn’t officially kick off until 6 p.m. on NBC, viewers can get into the football spirit all afternoon long with Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl and Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl.

The three-hour Kitten Bowl V pet adoption event will premiere at noon on Sunday and will feature displaced kittens rescued from the country’s most recent national disasters seeking the to win the “Feline Football” trophy, according to Hallmark officials. Animal advocate Beth Stern will host the event, with Boomer Esiason calling play-by-play action.

Hallmark will partner with the North Shore Animal League America to host 500 adoption parties for the event, which over its tenure has inspired the adoption of more than 10,000 animals, according to the network.

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, puppies will take the field for Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl XIV. The two-hour special will feature 90 adoptable puppy “players” running around chasing soft footballs and chew toys in a bone-shaped stadium featuring more than a dozen cameras, according to network officials.

Animal Planet has teamed with 48 different animal shelters and rescue organizations from 25 U.S. states and territories to field its lineup of puppies.

Animal Planet will begin the festivities with a Puppy Bowl pre-game show at 2 p.m., said the network. 

After Super Bowl LII is over, animal lovers can tune into Nat Geo Wild for the return of its Safari Live series beginning at 10 p.m. – kicking off a five-day run for the wildlife show. The network will showcae in real time wildlife action from Kenya’s Maasai Mara and South Africa’s iconic Sabi Sands Game Reserve, according to network officials. 

Nat Geo Wild’s Safari Live drew an average of 160,000 viewers for its initial run in 2017.

Comcast said it has implemented some new Super Bowl LII features and enhancements to its X1 platform as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to take on the NFL’s reigning champions, the New England Patriots, this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

 X1, for example, has added a series of voice commands tied to Super Bowl LII, enabling users to pull up an on-demand destination tied to the matchup by uttering “Super Bowl” or “The Big Game” into the X1 voice remote.

X1 customers can also pull up new “X1 sports knowledge cards’ with quick access to stats and standings by saying things such as “Tom Brady vs. Nick Foles,” or “Eagles vs. Patriots,” Comcast’s Jason Angelides explained in this blog post.

X1’s new experience around Super Bowl LII includes postseason news, stats and team comparisons of the Eagles and Patriots, playoff highlights (including highlights from the AFC and NFC championship games), Super Bowl replays, and a curated compilation of Super Bowl-focused YouTube playlists, such as the top 10 Super Bowls and iconic halftime performances.

RELATED: Comcast Launches YouTube on X1 Boxes  

Comcast has deployed more than 20 million X1 voice remotes. About 60% of Comcast’s residential subscriber base (about 21.3 million at the end of 2017) is on X1.

RELATED: Comcast Launches New Voice Remote

The X1 experience for the game will also supply video playlists featuring music from Justin Timberlake, who will highlight the game’s halftime show, and Pink, who will sing the national anthem, along with videos from previous halftime performers such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Coldplay.

During the game, the integrated X1 Sports app will provide real-time stats.

Immediately following the game, Comcast will also feature all of the commercials from Super Bowl LII on X1.

Broadcasting the Super Bowl on February 4 and the Olympics starting February 8, NBCUniversal is calling next month The Best Feb Ever, according to NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus.

At a press briefing in New York Wednesday, NBCU said that for the first time it will stream the Opening Ceremonies live. An edited version will be shows later in prime time.

The NBCU platforms will feature more live coverage than any previous winter games and more than 2,400 hours in all, Lazarus said.

There will be figure skating on 12 of 18 nights and live skiing on 11 of 18 nights.

RELATED: Couric to Co-Host Olympic Opening Ceremony on NBC

NBCU’s primetime coverage will be aired live in all timezones for the first time.

“The Olympics are proving again to be better than politics at bringing the world together,” Lazarus said.

NBCU has also created five one-minute spots promoting the Olympics that will air on Super Bowl Sunday. One will air during the pre-game show, another just before kickoff, the third during half time, the fourth just after the final gun and the last during an episode of the hitThis Is Us, which will air after the post game show.This Is Uswill be followed by an episode of theTonight Show with Jimmy Fallon originating from Minneapolis, where the game is being played.

One of the spots will be previewed each day on the Today show in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

No network has ever had the two huge TV event in the same season. The tight timing will “allow us to market, package and sell the, giving marketers a very unique opportunity.

Lazarus said he expected the Olympics to turn a profit, but he declined to say how much money it would generate.

RELATED: Comcast Builds Winter Olympics Content Hub for TVs, Mobile Devices

NBCUniversal will been using all of its assets, employing its Symphony approach, to promote the Olympics for an unprecedented five weeks. In return, “we will use this great event and large audience to promote other properties like This is Us, the Today show, the Nightly News, the theme parks and Universal pictures,” Lazarus said.

NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel noted that PyongChang is ready for the games. “The paint is dry. The Road is striped. They could host these games today,” Zenkel said. NBC is ready too, with more than 90 miles of cable strung and studios set up inside and on the roof of the International Broadcast Center.

NBCU will be distributing clips and highlights to a number of digital partners including Snapchat, which will run a show dedicated to four female snowboarders, Vox, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon Echo, Google Home, Musical.ly and Refinery

More than 20 Olympic advertisers have extended their buys to include the Snapchat platform, he said.

RELATED: NBC Says Super Bowl Ads Nearly Sold Out

Lazarus said the NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl LII will include the first ever use of the dual Skycam system, which provides a players’ eye view from the middle of the field, 3D imaging of key players,an all-new graphics package and a new opening song from Carrie Underwood.

The Super Bowl should also generate advertising sales records for a single day, with NBC being the first network to average more than $5 million per 30-second spot for the NFL’s championship game, annually TV’s most watched program.