NEW YORK (AP) — Audiences of more than 50 million people watched the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers get into the Super Bowl. Now they have the potential for bragging rights beyond the game.
With football ratings continuing to be strong, this year's Super Bowl has a chance to top the audience of 106.5 million people that made last year's game the most-watched television show in U.S. broadcast history.
Just under 55 million people watched the Steelers' victory over the New York Jets Sunday. That was the biggest audience ever for an AFC championship game. The Nielsen Co. says 52 million people watched the Packers beat the Chicago Bears.
Pittsburgh and Green Bay are two of the smallest television markets with home teams — as opposed to New York and Chicago, which have two of the top three. But both the Steelers and Packers are iconic franchises with widely scattered fan bases.
