NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Fox will have to rely on the popularity of the New England Patriots as they face the less-celebrated Atlanta Falcons if it wants to draw a record U.S. television crowd for the Super Bowl.
The 21st Century Fox unit is set to broadcast the 51st edition of the National Football League's title game on Feb. 5 in what is traditionally the most-watched TV show of the year with viewership of more than 100 million.
Big Super Bowl ratings are particularly important this year as the NFL is coming off a season in which it saw its average TV audience drop by 8 percent.