In its 19th year, the Puppy Bowl welcomed its highest ratings ever, per Uproxx.
Thanks to the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, viewers could watch the canine contest across Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, HBO Max, and discovery+. And with plenty of ways to view the Puppy Bowl, that’s just what people did.
Puppy Bowl Cooking up a Social Media Storm
“One of the reasons we were excited about the many synergy opportunities that came with the Warner Bros. Discovery merger is that with this unique collection of brands we could experiment with cross-platform content sharing and explore new, creative ways to attract more viewers,” said Julie Taylor, Chief of Content Strategy & Insights at US Networks.
“We simulcast on multiple platforms, leveraged sports stars to rally fans, showcased talent from Discovery, HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network, and New Line Cinema’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” to enhance the viewer experience. These strategies helped us build bigger buzz and expand Puppy Bowl’s viewership by more than 3.6 million this year.”
The Puppy Bowl blew up across social media too. It was the top social program across cable networks – aside from sport, of course.
It trended at #3 on Twitter, and racked up over 420 million views.
With the 20th Puppy Bowl set to take place next year, just how more popular will it get?
Super Bowl Canine Commercial Warms Hearts Too
For those who decided to watch the Super Bowl this year, there was one commercial that really struck a chord with dog lovers.
The Farmer’s Dog, a fresh dog food brand, won in USA TODAY’s 35th Ad Meter competition. In its commercial, a girl and a chocolate Labrador go through life together as the child, Ava, grows up through childhood, college, and motherhood.
It beat out commercials from the NFL and Amazon to win among USA TODAY readers.
