Super Bowl LIX made history not just as the most-watched American football championship, but as the most financially successful to date. Airing on February 11, 2025, and broadcast across multiple platforms including Fox and Tubi, the event garnered over $800 million in advertising revenue—a significant leap from its predecessor, and marked by the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Kansas City Chiefs by 40-22.
Lachlan Murdoch, the Executive Chair and CEO of Fox Corporation, proudly declared, "The clear winners Sunday night were the Eagles, the NFL, and Fox. Congratulations to our teams at Fox Sports and Tubi for a record-breaking and historic Super Bowl LIX, the most-watched, most-streamed, and most successful Super Bowl ever." This victory also reflected Fox’s ability to command record pricing for commercials, with ad spots fetching upwards of $8 million.
Super Bowl LIX achieved unprecedented viewership, reaching an average of 127.7 million viewers, surpassing last year’s record of 123.7 million. According to Nielsen, the viewership peaked at 137.7 million during the second quarter, making it the largest single-network telecast audience history. Tubi's performance stood out as well, with its simulcast attracting an average of 13.6 million concurrent viewers and peaking at 15.5 million.
Initially, Tubi had set the stage by promoting its free streaming service, making the highly anticipated event more accessible to viewers traditionally locked out of cable packages. Nicole Parlapiano, Tubi’s Chief Marketing Officer, remarked, "It was in line with what we thought we’d get." This approach effectively tapped both casual fans and newer audiences unfamiliar with conventional viewing methods.
Alongside traditional TV broadcasts, Tubi’s innovative streaming strategy broke paradigms, achieving impressive viewer statistics not previously seen for NFL games. During this grand event, Tubi also registered 24 million unique users surging onto its platform throughout game day. These audiences were treated to additional engaging content, like pre-game shows focused on the cultural aspects of the Super Bowl, marking it as not merely a sports event but a significant cultural moment.
The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, featuring Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar, added to the spectacle, drawing 133.5 million viewers—setting another record for halftime performances. This number was up from 129.3 million viewers last year, showcasing the ever-evolving nature of sports entertainment and the impact of star-studded performances.
Additional highlights included the prgame coverage, which averaged 23.4 million viewers, ensuring Super Bowl LIX began with compelling engagement before kick-off. The pre-kick segment alone amassed 82.5 million viewers, showing growing interest before the actual game, and up 9% from the previous year's figure.
The financial success intertwined with this historic broadcast not only reflects the power of the Super Bowl to captivate audiences but also the evolution of viewer behavior. More people now have options like Tubi, which presents both licensed movies and original content. Following Fox’s acquisition of Tubi, the platform has seen significant viewership growth, recently reporting 97 million monthly active users.
Looking to the future, Tubi’s strategy seems geared toward retaining new viewers who tuned for the Super Bowl. Nicole Parlapiano expressed hopes of maintaining this new user base, stating, "When you have a big hockey-stick moment [of growth] like this, the hope is it changes the baseline of the business forever." With investments in programming aimed at engaging audiences beyond just live sports, Tubi hopes to capitalize on this moment.
Fox has plans to launch its own dedicated sports streaming platform, which could change the competitive dynamics for Tubi, especially concerning live sports offerings. Yet, Tubi’s focus on how sports interact with culture will likely remain, redefining the viewer experience to capture those who appreciate both the athletic and entertainment aspects of events like the Super Bowl.
With the impact of Super Bowl LIX echoing through the sports broadcasting and digital streaming landscapes, the question remains whether Tubi can sustain this momentum and continue to grow its audience and relevance as part of Fox's expansive content strategy.