The Chris Townsend Show

Story of the Weekby Chris Townsend, posted on Fri, Feb. 2, 2007

Social Facts

The average number of people attending a Super Bowl party is 17%, over 20 million Americans.
Half of all Americans would rather go to a Super Bowl party than a New Year's Eve party.
An estimated 68 percent who attend the game have never been to a Super Bowl.
An estimated 50 million American women will watch the Super Bowl.
Two out of five Super Bowl watchers are not even football fans. Even people who will never watch another game all year will tune in to be part of this one national event.
Research shows that about 25% of women actually enjoy watching the game during the Super Bowl, but that leaves 3 out of every 4 who don't. It is true that those 3 watch it because they enjoy the commercials, the food, the drink, the friends and the overall atmosphere.
Super Bowl weekend is the slowest weekend for weddings.
On average, Super Bowl plans are made 41 days in advance, our research shows. (By comparison, New Year s plans are made 35 days in advance anniversary plans are made 30 days in advance birthday plans are made 25 days in advance.)

Food Facts

Nearly one in eight or 13% of Americans order takeout/delivery food from a restaurant for a Super Bowl gathering.
Most popular choices of takeout/delivery items on Super Bowl Sunday are pizza at 58 percent, chicken wings at 50 percent and subs or sandwiches at 20 percent.
Approximately one in 20 (4 percent) Americans watch the big game at a restaurant or a bar, over 9 million Americans.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Americans will eat an estimated 20 million pounds of potato and tortilla chips and eight million pounds of avocados.
Sales for antacid increase by 20% on Super Bowl weekend.

Media Facts

The Super Bowl will always reach the magic line in the Neilson ratings of 40-plus [household] rating.
Each of the past three Super Bowls earned household ratings (percentage of the 108 million homes with a TV) just above a 40, and in 2000 the broadcast averaged a 43 rating.
The game is televised in over 220 countries, with an audience estimated at close to a billion people.
The Food Network will have aired at least a dozen shows with Super Bowl themes by Super Bowl week's end.
Every Super Bowl since 1991 has had a rating of at least 40.2, with 1996's game earning a 46.1.
The second-most watched Super Bowl in history was in 2003 with 137.65 million American viewers.
ESPN airs more than 160 hours of Super Bowl programming during Super Bowl week.
The top 10 most-watched programs in TV history are all Super Bowls.
The Super Bowl has become advertising's big contest as well. It is believed that close to 58% of people would rather take their bathroom breaks during the game than miss the commercials.
Eighteen of the top 20 highest rated television programs have been Super Bowl games.

Economic Facts

It is believed that an estimated 300-400 million dollars will be pumped in to the local economy of the host city.
Consumers will spend an average of $49.27 (or $5.6 billion total) on Super Bowl-related items from food and drink to new TV sets, lounge chairs and entertainment centers.
The median annual income of a Super Bowl ticket holder is $70,000, with 33 percent making over $100,000.
About 35 percent of those who attend the game write it off as a corporate expense.