The Puppy Bowl seems to have sniffed out some good ratings for its 22nd edition.
Puppy Bowl XXII reached 15.3M viewers across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and discovery+ on Super Bowl Sunday, per Warner Bros. Discovery.
The telecast, which is the longest running call-to-adoption television event, was the top non-sports cable program of the day in the key adult demos and demonstrated a 20% year-over-year increase in reach to mark its best performance in eight years, the company added.
WBD says that this year’s Puppy Bowl chased ratings gains among Adults 25–54 on both TBS and truTV, increasing 11% and 104% respectively. That makes it the highest‑rated Puppy Bowl broadcasts ever on those networks.
“This year’s Puppy Bowl delivered its strongest performance in nearly a decade, and its success across linear and streaming highlights our unique ability to unite audiences around content that feels good and does good,” Joseph Boyle, Head of Content, Discovery Channel, said in a statement. “We’re grateful to bring viewers so much joy and are deeply proud of the purpose at the heart of this event.”
The three-hour sports spectacular included a record-breaking 150 dogs from 72 shelters across the United States, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, featuring “heartwarming adoption stories and show-stopping matchups,” according to organizers. Referee Dan Schachner returned for his 15th year to oversee the action.
Fifteen special needs dogs also competed. And for the first time, Puppy Bowl spotlighted senior dogs in a special exhibition game, as Team Oldies and Team Goldies go head-to-head.