Is America getting tired of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LIII pulled an overnight rating of 44.9 nationally, the lowest since 2009's Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Cardinals. For comparison, last year's contest between the Patriots and the Eagles pulled a 47.4 rating, almost 3.5 million more viewers total.
Last five super Bowl overnight ratings:
2019: 44.9 (Pats-Rams, CBS)
2018: 47.4 (Eagles-Pats, NBC)
2017: 48.8 (Pats-Falcons, Fox)
2016: 49.0 (Broncos-Panthers, CBS)
2015: 49.7 (Pats-Seahawks, 49.7) https://t.co/ZCRN73DSpm
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) February 4, 2019
Notably, the city of New Orleans said it would boycott the Super Bowl — then it actually did.
The big game drew just a 26.1 rating in New Orleans, down from 55.0 for Super Bowl LII last year. According to The Times-Picayune, that marked the lowest of any market in the U.S. and the lowest Super Bowl rating ever in New Orleans.
The Saints were controversially defeated by the Rams in the NFC Championship game, leading to the protest.
Super Bowl LIII was a hit in Boston, of course, where 57.4 percent of homes tuned in to watch the Patriots' 13-3 victory. Los Angeles, however, wasn't as enthusiastic, as 44.6 percent of LA homes tuned in for the game.
It's worth noting these are still remarkable numbers across the board. The Super Bowl is consistently the most-watched telecast of the year, and Super Bowl LIII will be no different despite its failure to match recent years.
