Super Bowl LX delivered drama on the field, in the ad breaks, and in the data. The Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots in what many described as a one-sided affair, while a new wave of AI-powered brands rewrote the rules of Super Bowl advertising. Here's what Samba’s TV and web intelligence uncovered from the biggest night in live sports.

Minute-by-Minute: How the Game Unfolded

Minute-by-minute viewership data tells a fascinating story about how audiences responded to the Seahawks' commanding performance. Overall viewership peaked at the end of the 2nd quarter, a sign that fans were still holding out hope for a more competitive game. Halftime brought a brief dip to 88% when Bad Bunny took the stage, as some viewers stepped away during the performance.

The tale of two cities was stark. Seattle viewership surged to 96% at the end of the 3rd quarter as the Seahawks built an insurmountable lead, while Boston-area viewership peaked in the first half before declining steadily as the Patriots fell behind. For marketers, these patterns make strategic ad placement more critical than ever. Knowing when your audience is most emotionally invested can mean the difference between a memorable spot and a wasted impression.

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Who Was Watching — And Who Wasn't

Across the U.S., 52.4M households tuned in to Super Bowl LX, a 6% decline year-over-year. The halftime show drew 35.4M households, down 18% from last year. Super Bowl LX's audience composition reveals persistent gaps that the league and its broadcast partners are still working to close. Compared against U.S. census benchmarks, Samba's data shows Hispanic viewers were -8% under-represented, Black viewers -4%, White viewers +1%, and Asian viewers +7%.

The NFL's investment in Bad Bunny was clearly aimed at drawing more diverse viewership, and there was measurable progress. Hispanic viewership improved from -10% last year to -8%, and Black viewership moved from -6% to -4%. But the gains remain modest. For networks, advertisers, and the NFL, these insights raise critical questions about what it truly takes to reach America's increasingly diverse population.

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AI Takes Over Super Bowl Advertising

Super Bowl LX marked a turning point for advertising, with AI brands dominating reach like never before. Samba data shows that three of the top five brands were AI-powered: ChatGPT, Oakley Meta, and Genspark.ai. Compare that to last year's top five (Nike, Novartis, RAM, Budweiser, and Pringles) and the shift is unmistakable. The Super Bowl has become ground zero for the AI industry's battle for consumer mindshare, as companies aggressively pursue mainstream audiences through premium live sports.

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Which Ads Moved the Needle Online the Most?

Reach is one thing. But which brands sparked real consumer interest after their spots aired? Bosch led with a 176% increase in web interest. Before the game, just 10% of viewers had engaged with Bosch-related websites; post-ad, that jumped to 27%, driven by their Guy Fieri spot. Svedka and Kinder followed with lifts of 131% and 102% in visits to websites mentioning those terms respectively.

Meanwhile, legacy beer brands like Bud Light and Budweiser saw minimal movement, likely a reflection of already-high consumer awareness. The takeaway: Super Bowl ads work particularly well when introducing brands to new audiences, not just reinforcing existing ones.

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What It All Means for Marketers

Super Bowl LX was a microcosm of where media and advertising are headed. AI is the new beer. Demographic representation in sports viewership remains a work in progress. And the most impactful ads reach audiences who haven't heard from that brand before. For brands and agencies looking to understand how their audiences engaged with Super Bowl LX, reach out to learn what Samba's media intelligence can reveal for your next campaign.

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