Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl Averages 112.3M Viewers, Most-Watched Show in 5 Years

Super Bowl LVI averaged 112.3 million viewers across all platforms, a 14 percent increase in viewership from last year.

NBC said an estimated 101.1 million people watched the Los Angeles Rams' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on NBC and Telemundo, along with an additional 11.2 million people on streaming platforms.

Super Bowl LV drew 96.4 million average viewers across all platforms, which was the lowest since 2007. This year's iteration is the highest-rated show on television in five years. 

“The Super Bowl once again delivered a massive audience, which included NBC and the unmatched power of broadcast television as well as first-ever presentations on Peacock and Telemundo, and led into our most-watched Olympics coverage in four years,” NBCUniversal chairman of television and streaming Mark Lazarus said in a statement.

NFL ratings soared across the board this postseason, thanks in no small part to a seemingly never-ending string of close games. Every game in the final three rounds of the playoffs was a one-score game, with a majority coming down to game-winning scores in the waning moments.

Matthew Stafford hit Cooper Kupp from one yard out with 1:25 remaining to put the Rams ahead for good.

Legalized sports gambling can also likely take some credit for increasing the already-fervent NFL fanbase. As more states legalize gambling, more fans have been tuning into games they might not otherwise watch.

Neither the Rams nor the Bengals are considered marquee NFL franchises, but they were able to considerably outperform a Super Bowl starring Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes last year.

Even if it wasn't the only factor, the estimated $7.6 billion on the line from bettors over the weekend undoubtedly kept viewers with a vested interest glued to the screen.