The last of the records

Fox suits probably are high-fiving their palms off today about the record Super Bowl average viewership of 97.5 million, and they should be pleased.
But this is Monday, and I'm in a glass-half-empty mood, so I'll throw a little water on it all. Sunday's game is very likely the last record viewership for anything that matters.
The game had all the right elements for high viewership: intense team rivalry, major-market fan base for both squads, and that whole underdog Giants vs. undefeated Patriots theme. It had a pair of celeb quarterbacks and the confidence of advertisers paying record prices for spots. It had Nielsen's recently developed ability to estimate viewership in sports bars and other communal sites. And it had what turned out to be a very exciting game that went down to the wire.
Even with all that, even in its final 30 minutes with 105.7 million viewers, the Super Bowl couldn't outdraw the series finale of "M*A*S*H," which attracted 105.9 million on Feb. 28, 1983. If you don't think broadcast is in trouble, there's your answer.