User-Generated Ads, Social Media Growing Trends in Super Bowl Viewership

While the majority of Super Bowl viewers tuned in via the largest screen in the home, there was plenty of online activity surrounding the game—from pre-game viewing of ads to online streaming to a flurry of social media activity.

 

A growing trend in Super Bowl commercials is the use of user-generated advertisements, according to TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc. Indeed, three of the top ten most engaging commercials—those with the biggest bump in viewership—aired crowd-sourced endings chosen through online voting prior to the game. The most engaging ad was Taco Bell’s "Live Mas" commercial and Doritos had two spots in the top 10.

 

As has been the case in the past few years, brands continue to make their ads available online prior to the Super Bowl. For instance, the commercial taking the #10 spot, Volkswagen’s “Get In. Get Happy.”, had more than 8 million views on YouTube before it aired on live TV. Of the top 10, just one commercial was not available to be previewed on the Web before the game.

 

The game itself was available online as well, via a CBS live stream, and accounted for more than 3% of total network traffic that evening, according to Sandvine’s The Bettter Broadband Blog. However, most viewers went with the largest possible HD screen to watch game, a point illustrated by the evening’s record ratings. CBS said the game earned an average fast national HH rating/share of 46.3/69, making it the second highest-rated Super Bowl in 27 years. The broadcaster said it was watched by a Nielsen estimated average of 108.41 million, making it the third-most-watched program in TV history.

 

Meanwhile, second screen action was way up this year. Trendrr.TV, which tracks social media activity in a 24-hour period, logged more than 52mln social media interactions. That’s 3 times higher than last year’s 17.5mln. Men outnumbered women in social game activity, 56% vs 44%, with mobile devices dominating (88%), according to Trendrr.TV.