Super Bowl attracts record 111.5 million TV viewers

The game was a big hit despite its one-sided nature

The Seattle Seahawks triumph at the Super Bowl over the Denver Broncos was the most-watched television event in US history, the Fox TV network has said.

The event drew 111.5 million viewers on Sunday night, it said.

It is the fourth time in five years that a Super Bowl game has set a viewership record, correspondents say.

The half-time show also set a record with 115.3 million viewers watching Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live.

Those figures beat the 110.8 million delivered by Beyonce last year and the prior record of 114.0 million set by Madonna two years ago.

Initially it was feared that the one-sided nature of the 43-8 Seahawks victory might have drained some suspense from the annual telecast, but the final numbers showed that once again the Super Bowl set a new benchmark for viewing figures.

Experts say that the previous five Super Bowls are now the five most watched TV programmes in US history, eclipsing the long-running record holder for most-watched TV programme - the M*A*S*H finale in 1983 - which now ranks sixth.

Fox said that about 2.3 million people watched its webcast of the game, peaking at the end of the third quarter.