The 59th Super Bowl Sunday took place on February 9, 2025. In a highly anticipated rematch, the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles triumphed with a decisive 40–22 victory, avenging their previous Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles!
For over a decade, we have been tracking Super Bowl-related traffic changes and sharing our insights on this cultural phenomenon. Once again, the New York Post has partnered with us to delve into the data. An event of this magnitude significantly impacts online behavior, and this year was no exception!
Super Bowl Searches: When Football Fans Get a Little… Distracted
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, but let’s be honest—it’s not just about the game. There’s the halftime show, the commercials, the snacks, and, while some fans stay glued to the screen, others find themselves exploring a different kind of entertainment on the big day.
Searches for “super bowl” were up a staggering 8,032%, while “super bowl halftime” jumped 5,023%. Apparently, some viewers were hoping for a different kind of post-game celebration with a 4,609% increase in “after party amateur” searches.
No Super Bowl fantasy would be complete without the iconic cheerleaders, and searches reflected that. Leading the charge was “BBW cheerleader” with a massive 3,107% increase, “hot horny cheerleader” (+734%) and “thick cheerleader” (+593%).
It seems the word “super” was on everyone’s mind, because searches featuring the term skyrocketed across various categories. Some standout examples included “super fat BBW” (+4,170%), “super hot blonde babe” (+3,269%), “super tits” (+2,074%) and “super big dick” (+207%).
Pornhub’s Traffic Takes a Time Out
For a few hours, even Pornhub’s most loyal visitors took a time-out —especially in the home states of the competing teams. Our statisticians were particularly impressed by Pennsylvania’s dedication, where traffic dropped by -50% at 8 PM, compared to just -30% in Missouri. Interestingly, Missouri’s traffic trends stayed much closer to the national average throughout the day and during the game, suggesting that while fans were invested, they weren’t entirely off the clock when it came to their usual online habits.
Of course, once the confetti falls and fans either celebrate or drown their sorrows, traffic bounces back. After the final whistle, Pennsylvania and Missouri both saw a surge in visits by +13% and +9% respectively.
Halftime Takes the Spotlight
While the Super Bowl itself causes a noticeable dip in traffic, nothing pulls people away from their screens quite like the halftime show. Based on per-minute pageview data, U.S. traffic hit its lowest point at 8:01 PM, dropping a staggering -68% just before the show began. That’s one of the largest momentary declines our statisticians have ever recorded during a live sporting event.
Clearly, the halftime show isn’t just for football fans—it commands the attention of a much wider audience. As the performance wrapped up, traffic gradually returned to its pre-halftime reduced levels, holding steady until the final whistle.
State Champions
Some states were fully locked into the Super Bowl, with Pennsylvania leading the way at -43%, the largest drop in the country. Rhode Island (-40%) and Washington, D.C. (-37%) also saw steep declines, proving that the game was the main attraction. Louisiana, where the game was hosted, followed closely behind at -33%.
On the other end, New York saw the smallest drop at -16%, with South Dakota and Oregon (both -17%) also showing minimal declines, while West Virginia and Massachusetts hovered just below -20%.
Super Bowls Past and Present
This year’s -23% national traffic drop during the Super Bowl remained in line with previous years and was slightly larger than 2023’s decline when the Eagles and Chiefs last met. The Eagles’ previous appearance in 2014 saw a slightly bigger drop at -24%, while the Chiefs’ 2024 matchup against the 49ers resulted in a -21% decline.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Pornhub Insights, where we break down the unexpected ways major events impact online habits. Stay tuned for more deep dives into the world of data, trends, and cultural moments that shape what people search for. See you next time!