Early Ratings: Super Bowl XLIX Receives Top Overnight Numbers Ever

Following the game, “The Blacklist” earns its top marks to-date

Tom Brady

The New England Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX win on Sunday handed host NBC the highest overnight rating in the history of the big game with a 49.7 rating/72 share.

The matchup, which saw Most Valuable Player Tom Brady and Co. top the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in a nail-biter, peaked at a 52.9/73 between 10-10:15 p.m. ET, NBC Sports specified. The main network’s coverage was up four percent from last year (47.6/70) and up three percent from the prior record (a 48.1/71 for Ravens-49ers Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013), per overnight numbers.

With such a strong lead-in, James Spader drama “The Blacklist” earned its top marks ever. The show averaged a 13.5/24, making it the top post-Super Bowl show in three years, according to the early information available. It bested last year’s “New Girl” on Fox by nine percent, and 2012’s “Elementary” on CBS by 13 percent.

“The Blacklist’s” 13.5 makes it the top primetime entertainment telecast since the Oscars (27.7/42 on March 2, 2014) in the 56 metered-market households.

Fast national data will be released soon, which is more reliable. Final numbers will follow after that.

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