Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots drew an overnight rating of 47.8, which was the third highest rating behind Super Bowl XLV and XXI (via TV By The Numbers).
Here's the top five overnight ratings for the Super Bowl (broadcast network in brackets):
T1. 47.9/71 - Super Bowl XLV, Packers 31-Steelers 25 (Fox)
T1. 47.9/68 - Super Bowl XXI, Giants 39-Broncos 20, (CBS)
3. 47.8/71 - Super Bowl XLVI, Giants 21-Patriots 17 (NBC)
4. 47.4/NA - Super Bowl XIV, Steelers 31-Rams 19, (CBS)
5. 46.9/70 - Super Bowl XX, Bears 46-Patriots 10, (NBC)
As you can see, this year's game gave NBC its second top five rated Super Bowl broadcast. The numbers were also up 7% from the last time the Giants and Patriots met in the Super Bowl.
However, despite being slightly behind last year's 47.9 rating, the game was seen by a record 111.3 million people (via Richard Sandomir's Twitter). NBC did live stream the game online which could have helped boost the numbers to the new record.
For more Super Bowl 2012 coverage, check the SB Nation Super Bowl homepage.