Super Bowl XLVI breaks record as New York Giants lift Lombardi trophy - NFL News
The New York Giants won the coveted Lombardi Trophy on Sunday with a 21-17 victory over fierce rivals New England Patriots in the Super XLVI on Sunday as an audience of almost 111.3 million viewers were glued mesmerised to the action taking place in Indianapolis.
Those ratings set a new record in US television history as the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year remained the most viewed television event in America.
Last year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers had an approximate rating of 111 million viewers yet this year that record was just exceeded by 0.3 million more viewers.
The second half of the game saw ratings rise up through the roofs. An estimated 117.7 million people watched the final two quarters and they were rewarded with some epic nail biting action on the field.
Madonna’s performance in the half-time show had its own large audience. The queen of pop music entertained the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium and those around the country with a wonderful performance which was tuned into by an estimated 114 million people.
"I was rooting for Madonna as much as I was for the Giants," said Tara Maitra, senior vice president of TiVo, which also monitored viewership trends during the game.
NBC which had exclusive rights to broadcast the game live, could not have asked for much more and the game represented a windfall for the network with each 30-second ad-space sold for an average cost of $3.5 million.
The game as with tradition started off with a brilliant rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by former American Idol, Kelly Clarkson.
The game itself lived up to all the hype in the previous week as both the Giants and Patriots delivered a match that would be remembered for many years.
The Giants took the lead in the first period, as New England Patriots' quarterback, Tom Brady was penalised for intentionally grounding the ball, leading to a two point safety for New York.
Manning then threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz to make it 9-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots responded early in the second quarter with a field-goal by Stephen Gostkowski to make it 9-3.
Tom Brady would throw his first touchdown of the night to Danny Woodhead in the final seconds of the second quarter to give New England a one point lead.
In the third quarter, things looked to be going completely the Patriots way.
Brady threw his second touchdown pass of the night as Aaron Hernandez rushed to the end-zone to score a 12-yard touchdown.
The Patriots were up by 17-9 and the New York Giants had to settle for two field goals to make it 17-15, entering the final quarter.
In the final period, New England had a great opportunity to win the game.
Wide receiver Wes Welker was under no pressure as Tom Brady sent a simple pass but Welker inexplicably dropped it.
That catch drop would haunt the Patriots later in the game.
Eli Manning drove the Giants forward and Ahmed Bradshaw scored the final touchdown of the game to put New York up by 21-17.
Brady tried to win it in the final five seconds when he sent a Hail Mary pass to tight end, Rob Gronkowski, but to no avail.
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