While the Super Bowl will always be associated with Canada’s southern neighbors, it’s clearly an event that resonates with Canadians. Nine of the top 20 most-watched broadcasts are Super Bowls, although they still trail the audience figures for various events from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics by a large margin.
Nevertheless, the most-watched football event in Canada’s history was the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII game between the Chiefs and the 49ers, with 10.1 million viewers. We did see a dip last year, with 8.4 million Canadians tuning in to see the Eagles dethrone the Chiefs as Super Bowl champs. That was still good enough to be considered the 17th most-watched broadcast in Canada.
Yet, can we predict whether Super Bowl LX will be higher or lower? It’s not always easy to do so, and it depends on a variety of factors. For a start, it can depend a lot on the teams involved, and we do not know who will be there yet.
According to DraftKings Super Bowl odds, the Bills and Seahawks are among the favorites, so, as border teams, they tend to have larger followings in certain regions. The Bills tend to top polls of the most popular NFL team in Canada, so that could certainly be a difference-maker.
Of course, there is also the narrative of the season to factor in, although it can be harder to quantify. The NFL has recently published a lot of data on broadcasting for the 2025 season, with most figures trending upward. Not all of the data for Canada is widely available, but the regular season saw an average rise in viewership of 10% per game in the US.
One of the reasons for that rise is clearly the dramatic and eventful season. It was widely unpredictable, characterized by late-game comebacks and upsets, as well as an uprooting of some of those contenders we expected to do well before the season began. We have to see what the Playoffs and Super Bowl deliver, but all the signs are that this is a vintage NFL season, which naturally brings in casual fans.
There will be other factors at play, including the Halftime Show. Data shows there is a considerable spikes in viewing figures during halftime, but it certainly depends on the artist. This year, the NFL has chosen Bad Bunny. The selection of the Puerto Rican rapper ruffled some feathers in the US, but it feels like a smart selection to choose the most-streamed artist on Spotify across 2025 as the Halftime Show performer. Bad Bunny’s popularity with Gen Z could also bring in younger Canadians.
Some have espoused the theory that Super Bowl viewership has been on the rise in Canada since the start of this decade, coinciding with the legalization of single-event sports betting federally. It is quite hard to prove the link, as it is unlikely that television pollsters will be asking follow-up questions like, “Did you also have a bet on the game?” But we can cite it as a decent theory as Super Bowl betting has had considerable growth in Canada, and it’s natural to assume many punters will tune into watch the game if they have a wager on it.
That said, it is difficult to predict specifics about Super Bowl LX before we have all the facts, including the two teams that will contest the championship game. It’s almost certain that Canadian viewership will exceed eight million, but it will need to hit around 10 million to be considered in the most popular broadcasts.
Photo: 3D Animation Production Company, Pixabay
