Most watched Super Bowl ever: Eagles vs. Chiefs put on a show with 127.7 million viewers

Super Bowl LIX had something for everyone. The Kansas City Chiefs had the chance to make history and become the NFL's first ever three-peat champions. The Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to stop the Chiefs' reign. 

Even casual observers had a reason to watch, whether it was Lady Gaga's moving tribute to the city of New Orleans before kickoff, Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar's groundbreaking halftime show or to see which commercials delivered the best bits (yes, Bill Belichick did join the DunKings).

So it should come as no surprise that Super Bowl LIX was the most-watched Super Bowl ever with 127.7 million viewers, according to FOX Sports. Super Bowl LVIII previously held the record with 123.8 million viewers.

Lamar's halftime performance also set a viewership record. The halftime show delivered 133.5 million viewers from 8:30-8:45 p.m. ET, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time. 

The Eagles won in a 40-22 blowout, the first time since 2021 that the Super Bowl had been decided by double digits. But the game was still fun, filled with plays we'll be talking about for years to come. 

In the second quarter, Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean became the first player to score a Super Bowl touchdown on his birthday. The 22-year-old picked off Patrick Mahomes and ran it back for a score — one of three turnovers forced by a relentless Philadelphia defense. 

The second quarter was when viewership for Sunday's game peaked. A projected 137.7 million viewers were tuned in from 8-8:15 p.m. ET.

Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts put together the best performance of his career as he led the Eagles with three touchdowns, including a beauty of a throw to DeVonta Smith that put the game out of reach.

Though Hurts outdueled Mahomes, the Chiefs' three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback still had a couple of highlight-worthy plays, such as his 50-yard bomb to rookie receiver Xavier Worthy. 

A couple of other viewership records were set before and during the Eagles' win. FOX’s Super Bowl Pregame coverage averaged 23,366,000 viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl pre-game show that's ever started at 1 p.m. From 2:03p-kickoff, FOX’s pregame coverage averaged 27,380,000 viewers, up 12% from last year's 24,535,000 viewers. The pre-kick portion averaged 82,530,000 viewers, up 9% over last year’s 75,789,000 viewers, and the initial tune-in was 114,383,000 viewers, up 7% over last year’s 107,392,000 viewers.

In all, Super Bowl LIX was pure entertainment — and it gave Super Bowl LX a lot to live up to next year. 

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