A new report out from mobile analytics firm Flurry shows that the audience reaching for their mobile devices and firing up apps during this year’s super bowl nearly rivaled the total TV audience — which is impressive considering this year’s event was the most watched TV program in history.

Flurry estimates that the number of users who launched applications in the United States between the hours of 3:15 PM PST to 7:15 PM PST on Sunday, February 5 totaled 98M.  The total television audience, according to Nielsen, reached 111M.  What’s most interesting is the mobile app engagement shown throughout the game.  Looking at the overall trends reveal a highly correlated, inverse relationship between app usage and game, halftime and commercial events.

Generally, app usage increased steadily over the first three quarters of the game, showing the challenge in holding peoples’ attention over several hours.  However, because this year’s game was close throughout, including an exciting fourth quarter finish, app usage remained relatively checked.  Noticeably, app usage declined significantly during the last part of the fourth quarter. The most clearly visible change in app usage occurred during Madonna’s half time show, where app usage remained consistently low for the longest, sustained period of time.

Many more stats, examples and graphs are available here.