Adele's '25' breaks record for single-week album sales

In this image released by NBC, Adele performs on the "Today" show on Nov. 25, 2015, to promote her latest release, "25." (Heidi Gutman / NBC / via AP)

LOS ANGELES -- Adele's new album "25" has sold 3.38 million copies in its first week, smashing single week sales records, according to Nielsen Music.

As reported by Billboard, "25" is the first album to sell more than 3 million copies in one week in Nielsen's history, which has been tracking first week purchases since 1991. The previous record was held by 'NSYNC whose 2000 album "No Strings Attached" sold 2.4 million copies in its first week.

"25" has also become the bestselling album of the year, flying past the 1.8 million copies sold of Taylor Swift's "1989." Adele did not allow streaming services like Spotify to make "25" available.

Her previous album, "21" has sold 11.24 million copies in the United States.