Super Bowl television audiences drop 5.3 percent from last year following lowest-scoring game in 53 years

New York: The US television audience for Sunday’s Super Bowl on CBS Corp dropped about 5.3 percent from last year, according to preliminary Nielsen data released by the network on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_6026311” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The view of the field after the New England Patriots win Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Reuters[/caption] About 44.9 percent of households in 56 major markets tuned in to watch the favored New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a humdrum match that was the lowest-scoring game in the Super Bowl’s 53-year history. That is down from 47.4 percent a year earlier, when again viewership had lagged from the prior year. “It suffered from not being a very good game. A 13 to 3 defeat with the Rams barely putting up a show didn’t really help the numbers,” said Patrice Cucinello, a director at Fitch Ratings credit agency. Even with a softer audience, she said, “it will still be a boon for advertising revenues for CBS.” Ad spots averaged $5.2 million for a 30-second slot.