Madonna set new TV audience records

Madonna gave one of her best performances to date at the Super Bowl.

INDIANAPOLIS:

Quarterback Eli Manning and his New York Giants may have beaten superstar Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at Sunday’s Super Bowl, but none them could outmuscle Madonna — at least, where TV audiences were concerned.

A record 111.3 million US viewers watched the Giants defeat the Patriots in the professional football championship, but 114 million watched the half-time performance by Madonna that drew mostly mixed reviews and a firestorm of controversy over a rude gesture by rapper M.I.A.

Ratings tracker Nielsen on Monday said the Super Bowl on the NBC network was the most-watched TV programme in US history, eclipsing the 111.0 million who watched 2011’s game. An extra three million tuned in for Madonna’s glitzy, Cleopatra-themed performance, giving the Material Girl the distinction of having the most-watched Super Bowl half-time show ever.

But her honour may always have the description “dubious” attached to it after NBC and the NFL were forced to publicly apologise for a finger gesture flipped at the audience by British rapper M.I.A, who joined Madonna in the performance that viewers seemed to love and hate in equal measure.

Other critics took her to task for blatantly promoting her new album, due out in March, and upcoming tour. The Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot commented that the Super Bowl “has become the biggest stage for shills of all kinds, pop stars included, and half-time has turned into a 12-minute branding opportunity in recent years for artists brandishing new albums.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2012.