The New Orleans Saints' victory over
Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million
people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the
most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co.
said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its
ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second
Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning
propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all
season.

"It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see
in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched
Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record
viewership for a Super Bowl - last year's game between Arizona and
Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen
said.

The "M-A-S-H" record has proven as durable and meaningful in
television as Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs was in baseball
until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell
which program was really watched by more people. There's a margin
for error in such numbers, and Nielsen's Monday estimate was
preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due
Tuesday.

"It's significant for all of the members of the broadcasting
community," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. "For anyone who
wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people
watched this program. You can't find that anywhere else."

Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than
in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football
in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well
when selling advertising for next season, he said.

The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan
Alda, the star of "M-A-S-H," and the slugger whose record was
beaten.

"If the `M-A-S-H' audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in
large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New
Orleans to triumph in every way possible," Alda said. "I am, too,
and I couldn't be happier for them. I love that city."

There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9
million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77
percent of homes with TVs on were watching "M-A-S-H" in 1983,
compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.

Nielsen also measures only the United States, and it's possible
some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate
measurement of television audiences outside the United States is
spotty at best.

Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare
a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didn't take into account large
numbers of people watching "M-A-S-H" communally, which is often
the case for football games, too.

"Not to say I'm competitive, but in part we are talking about
sports," he said. "And I actually AM competitive."

McManus didn't want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong
viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The
NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences
since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its
appeal to sports fans has also helped.

A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus
acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a
10-0 lead - a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the
game - but New Orleans roared back.

The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans,
the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said.
More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead
of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job
counting viewers in homes than outside of them.

"Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a
good combination for us," McManus said.

The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new
CBS series "Undercover Boss" that premiered after the game. An
estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series
about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in
their own companies, Nielsen said. That's third only to a 1996
"Friends" and 2001 "Survivor" as the most-watched program after
the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Dorito's was a big winner in a measurement of
interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc.
said the snack company's ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep
his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in
15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder.

The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and
Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker's ad with
Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.

In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials
than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused
live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of
TiVo's research department.