Sunday night's matchup between the New York Giants and New England Patriots established a Super Bowl viewership record with an average of 111.3 million viewers, according to reports from the New York Times' Richard Sandomir and Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch.
The game, won 21-17 by the Giants, fielded a perfect storm of ratings -- two big-market teams, two elite quarterbacks, a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, and a close contest that wasn't decided until the final play.
Madonna's haltime show, which actually had a higher rating than the game, also was more-watched: the pop star set a Super Bowl halftime show record with 114 million viewers.
For more on the Patriots and their Super Bowl run, check out SB Nation's Patriots blog,Pats Pulpit as well as SB Nation Boston. For more on the Giants and their Super Bowl appearance, visit Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York. For all news and information regarding Super Bowl XLVI, please stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated Super Bowl hub.