TiVo: Madonna's Halftime Show More Popular Than Super Bowl Football Game

Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show was more popular viewing than the football game itself, and a Doritos commercial about a dog who may have rubbed out a cat was the most popular ad during the telecast, according to TiVo.

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The DVR pioneer calculated which moments during the Super Bowl broadcast were watched most in “play” mode, so moments rewound and watched again count far more than the ones that were viewed just once or were fast-forwarded.

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The data indicates that while the halftime show outscored the game, it didn’t beat specific moments during the game. The top moment, in fact, was when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, sealing a 21-17 victory for the New York Giants.

Overall, though, Madonna’s show was more popular viewing by nearly a 16 percent margin over the game itself – and TiVo said it wasn’t because so many viewers rewound to watch rapper M.I.A give them the finger, though the company is checking to see if the controversy encourages those who recorded the Super Bowl to go back to that moment and see it for themselves.

Based on the data, TiVo on Monday issued a Top 10 list of commercials, and Doritos’ Man’s Best Friend ad took the top spot (video below).

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TiVo said that no movie commercials cracked the Top 10, but The Dictator from Paramount Pictures came closest at No. 24. The ad features Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il and Sacha Baron Cohen. (Video below).

After Man’s Best Friend, the rest of the Top 10 was: Ms Brown (M&Ms), Sling Baby (Doritos), King’s Court (Pepsi), The Dog Strikes Back (Volkswagen), Win a Million Bucks (NFL Fantasy Game), Seinfeld (Acura), Seduction (Fiat 500 Abarth), Fatherhood (E*Trade) and Happy Grad (Camaro).

Not breaking into the Top 10 were ads starring Clint Eastwood, Matthew Broderick, Barry Manilow or John Stamos.

After The Dictator, movie ads ranked relatively poorly. The Avengers was No. 43; followed by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (48); G.I. Joe: Retaliation (53); Battleship (61); Act of Valor (66); Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (68); John Carter (75); and Safe House (100).