M*A*S*H finale no longer the biggest TV show of all time

Well, it took almost 27 years — longer than Bob Beamon's altitude-aided long jump record — but the last remaining viewing record set by the series finale of "M*A*S*H" in 1983 has finally fallen.

With an average viewership of 106.5 million, this year's Super Bowl has topped the 106 million average for Hawkeye's last stand. Of course, in 1983 when the "M*A*S*H" finale aired,

You know what's striking to me about this? The game pitted two teams that in any other sporting league would be considered "small market": New Orleans (51st-largest metro area according to Nielsen) versus Indy (25th-largest).

PR follows....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/8/10

SUPER BOWL XLIV MOST-WATCHED TV SHOW OF ALL TIME

153.4 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS

AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP TOPS M*A*S*H FINALE

The 2009 NFL season concluded with another record as Super Bowl XLIV reached a total audience of 153.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched show in U.S. television history according to Nielsen Media Research. The Colts-Saints championship game topped the previous mark of 151.6 million total viewers set last year (Cardinals-Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII). Super Bowls account for the 19 most-watched programs in history in terms of total audience.

Most-Watched TV Programs, Total Viewers

Game Total Viewers Super Bowl XLIV (Colts-Saints), 2/7/10 - 153.4 million Super Bowl XLIII (Cardinals-Steelers), 2/1/09 - 151.6 million Super Bowl XLII (Giants-Patriots), 2/3/08 - 148.3 million Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots-Panthers), 2/1/04 - 144.4 million Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research

In addition, a record average of 106.5 million viewers watched Super Bowl XLIV – topping the previous mark of 106 million for the series finale of M*A*S*H in 1983 and an eight percent increase over last year’s Super Bowl (98.7 million viewers).

Super Bowl XLIV earned a 45.0 household rating marking the highest-rated Super Bowl in 14 years (46.0 rating for Cowboys-Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, January 1996) and a seven percent increase over last year’s 42.0.

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