Super Bowl was ratings blow-out for WISH-TV

Central Indiana residents set a television viewing record Sunday night by tuning TVs in droves to watch the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.

An average of 79.4 percent of televisions that were turned on during the game period were tuned in to the event, according to the CBS affiliate that broadcast the game locally, WISH-TV Channel 8.

The upshot: a whopping total of 653,000 households in the region tuned in to the game.

Viewing climbed in the fourth quarter as the Colts put the finishing touches on their 29-17 victory. From 9:45 to 10 p.m.—a period that included the fourth quarter of the game—an average of 84 percent of all central Indiana televisions that were turned on were tuned to the contest in Miami.

WISH, IBJ ’s newsgathering partner, based its figures on Nielsen Media Research, which tracks television viewing.

Among all central Indiana households—whether their TVs were turned on or not—an average of 55.5 percent tuned to the game.

Nationally, the Super Bowl garnered a 63-percent share, compared to 62 percent nationally for last year’s Super Bowl featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Seattle Seahawks.