The Ravens Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers was the highest rated telecast in Nielsen meter history, according to preliminary ratings from CBS.
With almost one out of every two TV homes in the nation tuned to the game, it topped the Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh Super Bowl 2011 game.
The rating excludes the period from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. when play was stopped because of a blackout in stadium lights.
Here's the release from CBS:
CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLVII featuring the BALTIMORE RAVENS, 34-31 win over the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 3 (6:30-8:45 PM and 9:15-10:45 PM, ET), earned an average overnight household rating/share of 48.1/71, the highest-rated Super Bowl in the metered markets in history (2/6/11; 47.9/71; FOX; Green Bay-Pittsburgh).
This year's 48.1/71 is up +1% from last year's 47.8/71 (N.Y. Giants-New England) in the metered markets. Rating excludes from 8:45-9:15 PM, ET during power outage.
The Super Bowl XLVII rating/share peaked at 52.9/75 from 10:30-10:45 PM, ET. Following is a breakdown of the ratings by half-hours.
Top 10 Rated in the Metered Markets
1. Baltimore 59.6/83
2. New Orleans 57.1/77
3. Washington, DC 56.9/80
4. Norfolk 55.8/76
5. Dayton 54.6/72
6. Columbus, OH 54.3/73
7. Indianapolis 54.2/76
8. Richmond-Petersburg 53.7/74
9. Milwaukee 53.4/73
10. Jacksonville 53.3/70