Super Bowl LV was watched by 96.4 million people across all platforms, the host broadcaster said Tuesday, the lowest viewership since 2007 - despite record-smashing streaming audiences.
The NFL showpiece is the most-watched TV event of the year in the United States.
Some 102.3 million people tuned in for last year's Super Bowl. The most-watched non-sporting event in 2020 was "The Masked Singer," which attracted an audience of 27 million.
In the end, Super Bowl LV was a one-sided affair, with legendary quarterback Tom Brady leading Tampa Bay to a 31-9 victory as he collected a record seventh Super Bowl crown.
In the US, friends and family usually get together for the annual showpiece, but coronavirus restrictions may have brought this year's viewing figures down.
The 55th Super Bowl was nonetheless a streaming success, becoming the most live-streamed NFL game ever, CBS said in a statement.
The average audience of 5.7 million watching online at any given minute was up 65 percent on last year's Super Bowl, the broadcaster said.
The NFL allowed several platforms to stream the game, including on CBS's All Access platform, Yahoo Sports, Verizon Media and the Chiefs and Buccaneers' mobile apps.
CBS All Access, the flagship online video service of the Viacom CBS group, experienced technical difficulties at the start of the broadcast before returning to normal, several US media reported.
Technical reliability, particularly of live broadcasts, is becoming a big issue for broadcasters as viewers move away from traditional television to online streaming.
