Declining ratings have become the norm in the 2009 NFL postseason, and the AFC Championship Game was no exception.
The Steelers’ win over the Ravens drew a 23.8/47 overnight on CBS Sunday night, down 13% from a 27.4/48 for Chargers/Patriots in the early 3 PM window last year. Compared to the game in the comparable timeslot last year, the 23.8 is off 25% from a 31.7/46 for Giants/Packers on FOX.
The 23.8 overnight is the lowest for an NFL Conference Championship game since Panthers/Seahawks drew a 22.3 in ’06. Additionally, the 23.8 is the fourth-lowest for a Conference Championship game this decade, and the lowest for the AFC Championship Game since the last time the Ravens made it this far — 2001, when Ravens/Raiders drew a 23.2.
Despite the lower ratings, CBS easily won the night on the strength of Ravens/Steelers, averaging 33.7 million viewers in prime time (7-11 PM) — beating second-place ABC by 262%.
Overall, the two NFL Conference Championships averaged a 23.9 overnight rating on FOX and CBS, down 20% from a 30.0 for last year’s games, and the lowest average since 2006.
Overnight ratings for AFC Championship Game.
2008-9: 23.8/47: Ravens/Steelers (Sun., 1/18/09, 6:30 PM CBS)
2007-8: 27.4/48: Chargers/Patriots (Sun., 1/20/08, 3 PM CBS)
2006-7: 28.1/40: Patriots/Colts (Sun., 1/21/07, 6:30 PM CBS)
2005-6: 24.6/44: Steelers/Broncos (Sun., 1/22/06, 3 PM CBS)
2004-5: 27.0/38: Patriots/Steelers (Sun., 1/23/05, 6:30 PM CBS)
2003-4: 26.6/46: Colts/Patriots (Sun., 1/18/04, 3 PM CBS)
2002-3: 26.4/38: Titans/Raiders (Sun., 1/19/03, 6:30 PM CBS)
2001-2: 24.0/47: Patriots/Steelers (Sun., 1/27/02, 12:30 PM CBS)
2000-1: 23.2/41: Ravens/Raiders (Sun., 1/14/01, 4:15 PM CBS)
1999-0: 24.4/47: Titans/Jaguars (Sun., 1/23/00, 12:30 PM CBS)
