Madonna's record breaking 2012 half-time show beats Beyoncé's Super Bowl performance

• Beyoncé's half-time show pulled in 104 million viewers, compared to Madonna's 112.5 million in 2012
• Madonna's controversial performance, where M.I.A swore at cameras, beat Bruce Springsteen's 2009 show, which pulled in 95.7 million viewers

Beyoncé's half-time extravaganza at the Super Bowl may have impressed fans but her raunchy leather-clad performance failed to pull in more viewers than Madonna's record breaking 2012 appearance. 

In fact, fewer people watched Sunday's thrilling Super Bowl than the previous two championship games, according to figures released on Tuesday. 

Although Beyoncé, who prepared for five months for the hotly anticipated gig, reunited Destiny's Child and sung live, viewing figures showed the 31-year-old was watched by 104 million viewers, compared to Madge's audience of 112.5 million. 

Scroll down to watch both performances 

 

Sasha Fierce... but not in viewing figures: Beyoncé failed to beat Madonna's 2012 ratings for her half time show

Nielsen, a company that tracks the ratings, reported the actual game drew 108.4 million viewers, which is a drop from last season's tally of 111.3 million viewers.

Madonna's performance in 2012, which sparked controversy after M.I.A swore at cameras, was criticised on Twitter but its lavish nature - the slot featured CeeLo Green, Nicki Minaj and LMFAO - meant the show was certainly noticed. 

Nearly half of all households that own a television were tuned into Sunday's game, the company added.

Massive gig: Madonna, seen performing with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., spoke out about the British rapper swearing during the Super Bowl halftime show last year branding it 'negative'

 

The showdown, where the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, scored a 46.3 rating and 69 share in its overnight ratings.
For the Nielsen measurement, one ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. 

The share means that 71 percent of TVs that were on at the time were tuned to the Super Bowl.

Oblivious: Madonna said she didn't know about the swearing until she had left and was on the way to the airport

How rude! The 36--year-old rapper was seen swearing into the camera during the live broadcast of the show

At CBS' request the ratings figure from last night did not include a 30-minute period when there was a partial power outage in the Superdome.

But viewership actually increased after the power outage, as the game measured a 52.9 rating during its final moments, CBS noted.

Not surprisingly, Baltimore ranked first among cities watching the championship game.

The game drew a 59.6 rating and share of 83 there.

 

In second place was New Orleans, where the game was played. The contest drew a 57.1 rating and a 77 share.

 

Crazy In Love: This year's Super Bowl's half-time show comes in at second in the most watched league

San Francisco did not rank in the top 10 cities for viewership.

The network also drew criticism by the Parents Television Council for not moving quickly enough to edit out a profanity said by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco shortly after the game. 

Flacco was caught by microphones describing his team's victory as 'f------ awesome.'

 

The game also illustrated the explosive growth of second screen activity. 

 

The company Trendrr TV, which tracks activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, estimated there were 47.7 million social media posts during the game. 

That compares to 17 million during the 2012 Super Bowl and just 3 million the year before that.

 

Last year's Super Bowl, when the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots, drew a Nielsen rating of 47.8 and had a share of 71.

The only non-Super Bowl to have reached the 100-million viewer benchmark was the series finale of MASH in 1983.

MOST VIEWED PROGRAMS OF ALL-TIME

EVENT                                                               VIEWERS                                          DATE
1.   Super Bowl XLVII                                         111.3 million                                       Feb. 5, 2012
2.   Super Bowl XLV                                           111 million                                          Feb. 6, 2011
3.   Super Bowl XLVII                                       108.4 million                                     Feb. 3, 2013   4.   Super Bowl  XLIV                                        106.4 million                                       Feb. 7, 2010
5.   M*A*S*H Special                                         105.9 million                                       Feb. 28, 1983
6.   Super Bowl XLIII                                           98.7 million                                        Feb. 1, 2009
7.   Super Bowl XLII                                            97.4 million                                        Feb. 3, 2008
8.   Super Bowl XXX                                           94 million                                           Jan. 28, 1996
9.   Super Bowl XLI                                             93.2 million                                        Feb. 4, 2007
10. Super Bowl XX                                              92.5 million                                       Jan. 26, 1986

OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS
Seinfeld Finale                                                76 million                                           May 14, 1998
Moon Landing                                                 53.5 million                                        July 20, 1969
Cheers Finale                                                 42.4 million                                        May 20, 1993
2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies             40.7 million                                        July 28, 2012