Swift Impact: Can Taylor Swift, Swifties Make Super Bowl LVIII Most Watched Super Bowl in History?

Without a halftime show being involved, no one could've imagined the romantic life of Taylor Swift having anything to do with National Football League ratings. 

Swift was already steamrolling toward overexposure in 2023 due to the ongoing Eras Tour, and then the 12-time Grammy Award winner started dating Kansas City Chiefs four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

With the Chiefs playing on Feb. 11 their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, and Swift likely being in attendance at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, observers wonder how the singer and her fans - aka Swifties - will impact the game's ratings.

Swift has attended 12 games so far, and in that sample lies some clarity on how America's biggest pop star showing up to Chiefs games this season to support her boyfriend has influenced viewership.

According to Variety, NBC's Sunday Night Football game between the Chiefs and New York Jets on Oct. 1, 2023, at MetLife Stadium drew 27 million viewers, up 22 percent (or 4.8 million viewers) from the Week 4 game between Kansas and the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Bucaneers a year prior.

By the time of that Week 4 matchup between New York and Kansas City, the Chiefs tight end and the "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer were all but "Instagram Official," with rumors of their romance predating the event by more than two months.

The NFL and its broadcasting partners haven't been shy about reminding viewers of Swift's presence at Chiefs games, making her something of an asset to the league. According to the New York Post, Swift appeared on camera 17 times during that Jets vs. Chiefs game on Oct. 1, 2023.

The AFC title game between Kansas and the Baltimore Ravens at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 28, set an all-time ratings record, according to CBS, with viewership averaging 55.47 million and peaking at 64 million.

Kelce's jersey "saw a nearly 400 percent spike in sales" on Sept. 24, 2023, the day Swift was spotted watching the Chiefs and Chicago Bears play at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City next to the football player's mom, a Fanatics spokesperson told the Associated Press in an email.

Swift's impact in dollars for the NFL and Chiefs is of the nine-figure variety, "generating an equivalent brand value of $331.5 million," Apex Media Group stated, per a Jan. 26 article by Front Office Sports.

So, can Swift and her fans make Super Bowl LVIII the most watched Super Bowl in history?

When the Chiefs played and eventually defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, the game was "the most-watched U.S.-based telecast of all time," according to an ESPN report published on May 2, 2023, citing revised data announced by Nielsen that very day. Nielsen, in said ESPN report, placed the average viewership of the game at 115.1 million.

Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Kelce have had attention-getting turns on this stage prior, without there being a high-profile love story playing out before the world. In this Super Bowl, the Chiefs will battle the San Francisco 49ers before the NFL's core audience, its casual viewers, Taylor Swift, and her followers watching her every move shared on TV.

Taking all of that into account, it'll come as no surprise if Super Bowl LVIII ends up being the most viewed Super Bowl in history.