Super Bowl LX delivered massive television ratings, with NBC broadcasting the second-most-watched program in U.S. history and Bad Bunny’s halftime show attracting an even larger audience. The event marked a significant milestone for NBC in its centennial year and showcased the enduring appeal of the NFL’s championship game.
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, but the real story emerged days later with the release of viewership data. The game, televised by NBC and streamed on Peacock, averaged 124.93 million viewers across broadcast and digital platforms, according to Nielsen ratings. This figure places it as the most-watched program in NBC’s 100-year history and the second-most-watched show ever in the United States, trailing only last year’s Super Bowl LIX.
Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, which was predominantly in Spanish, drew an impressive 128.2 million viewers, exceeding the game’s average and setting a new record for Spanish-language television. The show marked the first time a Super Bowl halftime featured a primarily non-English performance, resonating strongly with Hispanic audiences and beyond. Telemundo, NBC’s Spanish-language network, averaged 3.3 million viewers for the game, with a surge to 4.8 million during Bad Bunny’s act, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime in Spanish-language history.
Audience numbers peaked during the second quarter, with 137.8 million viewers tuning in concurrently, a record for NBC. The streaming component played a significant role, as Peacock and other NBCUniversal platforms experienced their highest-ever engagement levels. Detailed streaming data from Nielsen will be available later, but initial reports indicate robust digital viewership.
On social media, Bad Bunny’s halftime show generated approximately 4 billion views across various platforms within 24 hours, more than double the total from last year’s performance by Kendrick Lamar. This viral impact was measured by Ripple Analytics and highlights the show’s widespread cultural reach. Apple Music, the halftime sponsor, noted a sevenfold increase in streams of Bad Bunny’s songs immediately after the telecast.
Despite the Seahawks’ decisive victory, which may have led some viewers to switch off early, the ratings remained extraordinarily high. Super Bowl LIX in 2025 set the all-time record with 127.71 million viewers, and Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show attracted 133.5 million. This year’s slight dip in game viewership was offset by the halftime show’s success, demonstrating the event’s multifaceted appeal.
For NBC, the Super Bowl served as a powerful promotional tool for its Winter Olympics coverage, which aired immediately after the game. The Olympics broadcast averaged 42 million viewers on Sunday, the largest Winter Olympics audience since 2014 and a 73% increase over the same day in 2022. This synergy boosted NBC’s overall performance and reinforced the value of marquee sports programming.
The ratings triumph underscores the Super Bowl’s status as an unmissable cultural phenomenon, capable of drawing vast audiences across demographics. It also signals a shift in mainstream entertainment, with Spanish-language content achieving unprecedented prominence on one of America’s biggest stages. As media consumption evolves, events like the Super Bowl continue to set benchmarks for viewership and engagement.
