The internet is currently awash with Super Bowl fever. Well, assuming you're American, that is, which is still the second highest internet population in the world so a significant number. But how many people really don't care?

It is, after all, a purely local affair. This year's final is between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. Who? Not quite in the same league as Manchester United or Real Madrid. Not even on the same planet as an Italy Brazil World Cup Final. I know, I know, Americans like to hype things. They even have a "World Series" in which nobody outside the US actually plays. So how popular is the Super Bowl?

The game itself kicks off at 6.20 pm EST and has hours of entertainment before and after. Americans enjoy an all-day party with BBQs (in February?) and plenty of drink. That's fine, the FA Cup in the UK generates the same kind of day-long hype. But what about the rest of the world? In Europe most people are already asleep - or already drunk - and the game finishes after 3 am GMT. In Asia, which has a large base of sports fans - actually they are just gambling fans and sport is the most fun to gamble on even when in many countries betting is illegal - it will be early morning. Having a party and getting smashed at 8 am is definitely on some people's wishlist but don't expect a national Superbowl frenzy.

So, given that much of the world is asleep or doesn't care how many people watch this all-American spectacle? One figure that keeps getting mentioned on the net is that some 1 billion people watch the Super Bowl. This seems miraculous and probably includes the ghosts of American fans. Viewing figures are as much about hype as the whole game so let's take a look at some facts.

According to msnbc.msn.com and quoting from WikiAnswers, "NFL.com says Super Bowl XLI will be televised in 232 countries and "available to an estimated worldwide audience of 750 million to 1 billion people."

But the NFL doesn't know how many people outside the United States actually watch the game, nor has the league ever "provided the media a figure of total worldwide viewership," said Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman.

"We do know U.S. viewership because Nielsen tells us," McCarthy added.

The closest anyone has come to gauging global Super Bowl ratings is a tracking system devised by the New York-based media research firm Initiative, which collects data from 54 of the major TV markets from around the world. According to Initiative's most recent measurement, Super Bowl XL posted an average audience of 98 million, with 151 million tuning in at some point."

So, the 1 billion figure comes from the NFL's potential audience, that is, adding up all the TV viewers in all the countries that have a licence to broadcast the game. Laughable as a genuine viewership.

There is, however, one event that did come close to 1 billion viewers: the World Cup Final between Italy and France with an astonishing 10% of humanity watching it at some point.

Indeed, even the European Champions League will often get more viewers than the Super Bowl, in spite of being shown in the very small hours of the morning in Asia. I've sat around drinking with Thai friends at 3 am watching Champions League games.

Although this didn't start off as an American football versus football debate it does put into perspective how popular the Superbowl is worldwide. There will be many who feel a plague on both houses and prefer to go shopping. That's probably the healthiest attitude. To Americans, enjoy the day, just don't expect everyone else to feel the same.

Now, let me go play with my feet.

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