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Pitsburg (ECN) - In today's NFL, where it often seems that half the plays are subject to official review before they become final, it should be no surprise that the ratings numbers for the sport's biggest game were revised after an official review by Nielsen Media Research. The original call, that this year's Super Bowl had over 2 million fewer viewers than last year's game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, was overturned. Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals actually drew 98.7 million viewers, versus 97.5 million for the previous year's Super Bowl. That lofty number makes it the most watched game ever, and puts it behind only the final episode of MASH in 1983 as the most watched television program ever.

Although Nielsen numbers are often revised after the initial report is released, the rise of almost 3% over the initial release left many observers stunned. Spokesmen for Nielsen say they are looking into what caused such an abnormal discrepancy, but they say the final numbers are accurate.

The final number is also stunning considering both teams were from relatively small television markets, as opposed to last years teams who were from among the largest media markets in North America. Whether it was because of clever marketing, a need to escape from the doom and gloom of the current economic climate, or a contest between two evenly matched teams that took the game down to the final gun, Super Bowl XLIII set a new viewership milestone, even if it took a review to make it official.

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