Record viewing numbers, Taylor Swift and a dynasty: the season where the NFL reached new heights

With its bright lights, big names and halftime shows, the Super Bowl has always been the biggest sporting ticket in the US.

But even by Super Bowl’s standards, this year’s edition was a whole different ball game.

Between the storylines on the field to those off it – yes, Taylor Swift and her group of celebrity friends in the stands – more people than ever tuned into watch in Super Bowl LVIII.

Roughly 123.4 million average viewers tuned into watch the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers – the most-watched US television broadcast since the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

Even for a sport which has dominated the US sporting market for years, the 2023 season showed the NFL reaching new heights.

The NFL has always looked for ways to connect with new audiences, whether it be through social media campaigns, player participation programs or tailoring game coverage towards younger people.

However, no one at the NFL could have predicted the gift that kept on giving this season – the influx of ‘Swifties.’

Taylor Swift’s orbit into the NFL universe brought with it a new group of spectators: those fans of hers who might not have had any interest in the sport.

Her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was one of the main talking points of Super Bowl LVIII – her journey from Japan, her arrival in Allegiant Stadium, her entourage, cutaways to her in the stands and her celebrating on the field afterwards also received extensive coverage – whether people liked it or not.