2010 Super Bowl most-watched TV show in American history

This year's Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million viewers, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched televised event in American history.

The Nielsen Company estimated that 106.5 million people watched the Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts in Miami.

The figure smashed a 27-year record set by the "M-A-S-H" finale that aired on CBS, which had 105.97 million viewers at a time when there were far fewer television sets.

When the "M-A-S-H" finale ran, there were 83.3 million TV homes. There are currently 115 million TV homes.

This Sunday's broadcast also beat the previous record for a Super Bowl. which was set last year.

That epic showdown, broadcast on NBC, drew 98.7 million viewers as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the Super Bowl has averaged more than 90 million viewers, according to Nielsen.