98.7M watched Super Bowl XLIII

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- An estimated 98.7 million viewers tuned in to see Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII played in Tampa, Fla., NBC said.

The game was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 151.6 million people catching all or some of the event that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.

NBC also said Sunday's Super Bowl was the most-viewed telecast in U.S. television history.

Last year's Super Bowl XLII when the New York Giants beat New England, 17-14, keeping the Patriots from becoming the Patriots from becoming the NFL's first-ever team to finish a season with a 17-0 record, previously was the most-watched Super Bowl with an average of 97.5 million viewers.

The 1983 series finale of "M*A*S*H" averaged 106 million viewers and is the most-watched television broadcast in history based on average viewership. However, the 151.6 million people who watched all or some of Sunday's game top the estimated 122 million who watched all or some of that "M*A*S*H" finale.

Numbers released Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research said that Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa attracted the largest television audience in U.S. history.

"It's always incredibly satisfying to amass large audiences, but this television record simply reaffirms the power of the Super Bowl and the National Football League," said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics. "Everyone associated with the NFL should feel a great sense of pride in this accomplishment and in providing a day of enjoyment to American families -- especially those who are struggling in these difficult times."