Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend. The big game has become a tentpole event in the advertising industry where brands showcase their creativity and personality through signature commercials that are just as widely anticipated by some as the actual game.
The draw for advertisers is also the mass audience reach that the Super Bowl presents. People across the U.S. and abroad tune into the big sporting event, creating one of the few remaining mass-market opportunities for brands.
In this edition of Datonics Research, we break down the audiences that watch the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl Audience Analysis
This unofficial national holiday in the United States is filled with festivities, feasting, and pageantry that extends from the stadium and host city to the homes and other places where football fans and their friends and families gather.
In 2022, the Super Bowl was watched by 99.18 million viewers in the United States.
The Super Bowl boasts the largest live television audience and remains one of the few programs where people aren’t skipping the ads, a rare phenomenon as viewers are increasingly scattered across different channels. According to a survey conducted by Forbes, about a quarter of the Super Bowl audience thinks that the ads are the most important aspect of the event.
This year, 103.5 million people plan to throw or attend a party, and another 17.8 million plan to watch the game at a bar or restaurant. Total spending on food, drinks, apparel, decorations, and other purchases for the day is expected to reach $16.5 billion, or $85.36 per person an increase of nearly two billion U.S. dollars from 2021. 91% of spending is on food, beverages, televisions, furniture apparel, and accessories.
Also part of these expenditures is the money used to place bets on the game
Consumer spending during the Super Bowl weekend is significant:
It is estimated that Super Bowl consumer spending will be 16.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase of nearly two billion U.S. dollars from 2022.
2. 28% of consumers purchased new food and beverage products for the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is a time for discovery and exploration for consumers— in 2022 people mostly explored snacks (60%) and beer (40%). At the top 5 food categories that people purchase mostly in 2022 remained Super Bowl favorites: Chips (49%), Pizza (36%), Dips (32%), Desserts (31%), and Wings (27%).
Only 10% bought their groceries online, despite the growth of online shopping. 45% of consumers leaned heavily into mass retailers such as Walmart and Target to prepare for the Super Bowl, followed by 41% shopping at their local grocery stores and 18% at warehouse or club stores.
9% of people purchased a new TV for the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is one of the largest televised events, so it makes sense that consumers welcoming people into their homes want the most optimal viewing experience.