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More than 100 million people in the U.S. tune in to the Super Bowl every year. In 2025, Super Bowl LIX hit a record, averaging about 127.7 million viewers, with numbers spiking even higher for the big plays and halftime show. Factor in streaming and social platforms, and recent Super Bowls have reached more than 200 million people—drawn not just by the game itself but by the thrill of watching it all happen together in real time.

Alix Barasch

A study published online in the�� in January helps explain why so many viewers still tune in live for the Super Bowl. Across a series of experiments, researchers found that people enjoy watching something more when they think it’s live, even if it’s identical to a replay.

“When you know you’re watching live, the emotional experience is different,” said��Alix Barasch, associate professor of marketing at the��Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study. “You’re not just watching the game—you’re sharing a moment as it unfolds.”

What makes the difference is presence, the feeling of being drawn into the moment.

“It’s that sense that you’re really there—on the field, in the arena—with the people on the screen, instead of observing from the outside,” Barasch said. “When something’s live, your brain treats it like a shared moment you’re part of, not just a recording.”

That feeling of being part of the moment helps explain why the Super Bowl still draws huge live audiences, even when replays are available.

“Once a moment passes, you can’t really recreate that shared ‘now,’” Barasch said. “You can get the information later, but you can’t get that same experience again.”

Why live hits harder than a replay

The researchers, who also included�� of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and�� of the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, set out to measure that feeling of being “in the moment.”

Across five experiments, participants who believed they were watching something live reported feeling more socially connected, enjoying the experience more and being more likely to keep watching.

In one experiment, participants watched music videos on Twitch, some live and some prerecorded. In another, everyone saw the same band perform on YouTube, but some were told it was live and others were told it was prerecorded. Even when the performance was prerecorded, “just thinking it was live made people feel more connected to the person on screen, enjoy it more and want to stick around,” Barasch said.

The effect didn’t depend on surprises or suspense, and it happened even with fully scripted performances, Barasch said. “The content itself doesn’t change,” she said. “What changes is how it feels, because you know others including the performers are experiencing it right now too.”

That helps explain the Super Bowl effect: Highlights show what happened, but they can’t recreate the feeling of seeing a key play live with millions of others.

The lesson goes beyond sports, according to the researchers. Live formats such as product demos, livestreamed events and Q&As can help marketers and brands build stronger connections with audiences.

Connection to the crowd and people on screen

The researchers found that on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, features such as chats and viewer counts can make other viewers feel more present, creating a sense of connection similar to watching a game at a crowded bar or sharing reactions in a��group text.

But even without those cues, just knowing something is live strengthens the connection to the person on screen, Barasch said.

“The strongest effects actually come from feeling closer to the broadcaster, performer or player,” she said. “That’s rarely someone you know personally, but when it’s live, it makes that connection feel real.”

Seeing faces makes the effect stronger, the study found. When viewers can see a coach’s reaction or a performer’s facial expression mid-song, they feel more present, she added.

“Faces help viewers enter the social world of what they’re watching,” Barasch said. “Without that emotional access, it’s harder to feel like you’re really there.”

That’s why live events still matter. “Live doesn’t just capture attention,” Barasch said. “It creates connection—and that’s what keeps people showing up in the moment.”