Swift lures women to Bears telecast
‘‘Swifties’’ packed Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City twice this summer to watch Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Apparently, they couldn’t get enough of the venue.
And Sunday, many Swift fans presumably were watching the Chiefs’ game against the Bears, too.
The national FOX broadcast of the Chiefs’ 41-10 rout of the Bears was the highest-rated NFL game of the week for women in three age demographics covering 12 to 49, according to FOX Sports. The game ranked first in females 12 to 17, 18 to 34 and 18 to 49. The telecast was also the most-watched NFL broadcast of the week on any network, with 24.3 million total viewers.
Swift was at the game Sunday and cheered on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in a suite while sitting next to his mom, Donna. The pop superstar and the Super Bowl champion have been rumored to be dating. They walked out of Arrowhead Stadium together after the game in what was their first public appearance as a duo. Swift’s presence also has contributed to a mega-boost in sales for Kelce’s No. 87 jersey and a spike in his social-media numbers. He now has passed 3 million Instagram followers, gaining 325,000 in a week, which is a bigger increase than he saw after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in February, according to Front Office Sports.
The takeover isn’t quite complete, however, as Sports Media Watch reports that viewership for the lateafternoon window Sunday was down from the Week 3 ratings last season. The top game last season was a clash of iconic quarterbacks, as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers took on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. That game drew 26.4 million viewers as the most-watched Week 3 game in eight years.