Madonna gets biggest TV audience in US history

A record 111.3 million viewers watched the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots 21-17 in the Super Bowl on Sunday, just beating the 2011 TV audience for the game, according to ratings data on Monday.

The Nielsen company said Sunday’s Super Bowl TV audience on the NBC network was the most-watched television program in U.S history.

Sunday’s figure topped the 111.0 million who watched the Super Bowl a year ago. It was the 7th straight year of increases in the TV audience for the annual NFL championship.

The game peaked with 117 million viewers in its final half-hour, while Madonna’s now-controversial-thanks-to-M.I.A. halftime show averaged 114 million, which also marks the game’s most-watched halftime show. Last year’s Black-Eyed Peas show averaged 110.3 million.

Madonna’s halftime performance also draw a higher rating than the New York Giants and New England Patriots match. The 12 minute concert scored a 48.3 while the game trailed with a 47.8 ratings figure.

From Reuters and USA Today.