Big events are back - on TV and IRL

"By the numbers: Fox's Super Bowl LIX broadcast in February drew a whopping 127.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched Super Bowl and U.S. telecast of all time. NBC's airing of the 99th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade reached 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record. Nearly 45 million people watched the three Thanksgiving Day NFL games on average this year, per Nielsen, shattering last year's record of 34.5 million viewers."

"Between the lines: Ratings for award shows and other major sporting events have seen strong growth compared to previous years, but many remain well below their former highs. Ratings for the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and Tonys all saw notable upticks this year. But no award show has been able to come close to the viewership highs from the 2010s. More than 27 million people in the U.S. tuned into the final game of the MLB World Series on Fox in November, boosting the overall ratings across the seven-game series to more than 16 million U.S. viewers - its largest audience since 2016."

"The big picture: After years of splintering media habits and content overload, people are not only tuning into moments that bring them together but also showing up in person. The U.S. Open set an all-time attendance record this year of more than 1.1 million fans over three weeks. MLB attendance exceeded 71 million, an increase for the third consecutive season. WNBA had a single-season attendance record."

Major televised events posted substantial viewership gains, including a record 127.7 million for Super Bowl LIX, 34.3 million for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and nearly 45 million average viewers for Thanksgiving NFL games. Award shows and many sporting events saw upticks but generally remain below 2010s highs. The MLB World Series averaged over 16 million viewers, with the final game drawing more than 27 million. Live attendance surged: the U.S. Open exceeded 1.1 million attendees, MLB attendance topped 71 million, and the WNBA set a single-season record. Live Nation reported $8.5 billion in Q3 revenue, and creator-led events grew sharply.

Read at Axios