Super Bowl draws smallest audience since 2007

The ratings for the Super Bowl have dipped to the lowest in more than a decade.

Super Bowl LV drew an average audience of 96.4 million viewers across multiple platforms, Variety reports. This was down from the 102 million viewers who tuned in to last year's Super Bowl, and it was also the smallest Super Bowl audience since 2007, The Wrap reports.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs faced off in Sunday's Super Bowl, with the Buccaneers running away with a 31-9 victory. Given that COVID-19 cases remain high in the United States, Americans were urged to refrain from holding traditional Super Bowl parties and instead watch the game with those already in their household.

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CNN's Frank Pallotta described the Super Bowl ratings as a "disappointment" but noted that it's also "not a total shock that the ratings declined from last year, because the game was never really competitive." While overall viewership was down, Variety reports the Super Bowl did draw a record 5.7 million average viewers on streaming platforms.