UPDATE: The Nielsen Co. estimates that 106.5 million people watched Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, making it the most-watched television program in history, surpassing the 1983 finale of M*A*S*H, which had 105.97 million viewers.

But consider that the population of the United States is 31% larger than it was in 1983. The population in the U.S. was 235,000,000 in 1983 and 308,700,000 now, according to U.S. government figures.

Still, it's a pretty impressive number that the Saints and Colts drew on CBS on Sunday.

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CBS' broadcast of Super Bowl XLIV, in which Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints toppled Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts for the franchise's first NFL championship, scored the highest television ratings in 23 years.

Overnight ratings show the game scored a 46.4 rating (percentage of homes surveyed in 56 selected markets) and a 68 share (percentage of TVs in use tuned to Super Bowl) in metered markets, up 10% from last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals with a last-minute touchdown.

This year's championship game garnered the highest rating in metered markets since Phil Simms and New York Giants beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in 1987.

Sunday's broadcast peaked in viewership between 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET with a 50.6 rating.

The individual markets that scored the highest ratings were:

1. New Orleans (56.3/82 share)

2. Washington D.C. (56.0/73 share)

3. Nashville (54.4/73 share)

4. Indianapolis (54.2/80 share)

5. Columbus, Ohio (54.0/74 share)

-- Tim Gardner