NBCUniversal has declared a Super Bowl record for the game's live-streamed cross-platform viewership, claiming the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals produced an "average minute audience" (AMA) of 6 million watchers.
Super Bowl LVI's OTT performance beats 2021's previous high-water mark, the 5.7 million AMA figure scored by CBS and its coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two years ago, Fox's coverage of Super Bowl LIV featuring the Kansas City Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers scored an AMA of 3.4 million.
It was NBCU's first Super Bowl live stream, with the 6 million figure accounting for viewing across "Peacock, NBC Sports Digital platforms, NFL Digital platforms, Rams and Bengals mobile properties, and Yahoo Sports mobile properties."
Overall, factoring in much broader linear viewing, Super Bowl LVI touted 112.3 million viewers, up 5% from 2021. That includes 101.1 million on linear NBC and Telemundo.
Why does the streaming figure matter? The Super Bowl has traditionally been a driver for OTT adoption, with consumers figuring out new streaming solutions for their living rooms, and educating themselves on streaming services and technologies, ahead of the big game.
