TV By the Numbers: Super Bowl Dominates the Week of Feb. 1-7

Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. (Image credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of  Feb. 1-7, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Vizio’s Inscape, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 17 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

As you’d expect, the No. 1 program from Feb. 1-7 was Super Bowl LV, capturing 5.44% of all minutes watched. The only non-sports show in the top five was The Equalizer, which premiered on CBS immediately following the Big Game and grabbed 0.89% of watch-time for the week. Its appearance, along with a few other Super Bowl-related telecasts, resulted in multiple shows slipping in the ranking compared to the previous week. The programs that did see week-over-week rank increases included The Golden Girls, Gunsmoke and Love It or List It.

Also Read: Paramount Plus Gets Big Chunk of Super Bowl Promo Time

Most-watched shows on TV by percent share duration Feb. 1-7, 2021

CBS remained in first place — and nearly doubled its percentage of minutes watched week-over-week, up to 12.43%, thanks in part to the Super Bowl and related coverage. NBC and ABC swapped places compared to the previous week, while all the other top-10 networks maintained their ranking positions. TNT jumped up to No. 11 with an assist from NBA basketball games, capturing 1.63% of watch-time.

Most-watched networks on TV by percent share duration Feb. 1-7, 2021

Now that the NFL season has come to a close, what other TV shows are football fans watching? Inscape’s crossover data reveals that (not counting news or sports programming), reality, game show and comedy series lead the list, many of them from NBC.

Inscape looks at what other shows Super Bowl viewers watch

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Naturally, the Super Bowl was No. 1 for TV ad impressions, racking up 6.3 billion (down slightly from last year’s 6.7 billion). The two pre-game shows from CBS also made the top 10: The Super Bowl Today generated 992 million TV ad impressions, while Super Bowl Kickoff Show had 639.7 million impressions. There were only four non-sports/news programs on the ranking this time, led by The Price Is Right, coming in at No. 9 with 629.3 million impressions, a 15.86% increase from the previous week.

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Top shows by TV ad impressions Feb. 1-7, 2021

Thanks in part to the Big Game, CBS scored nearly three times more TV ad impressions than any other network last week (12.8 billion). NBC and ABC were neck and neck in second and third places, each with around 4.6 billion impressions. The remaining top 10 networks kept their ranking positions week-over-week, with minor changes to total impression counts. Propelled by its annual Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet jumped up from No. 33 to No. 21 with 341.3 million TV ad impressions, a 115.97% week-over-week increase. Golf was another network that rose up the ranking, landing at No. 20 with 342.8 million impressions, a 23.88% increase from the previous week.

Also Read: Watch the Super Bowl LV Commercials

Top networks by TV ad impressions for Feb. 1-7, 2021.