Unlike the Wild Card and Divisional rounds, the NFL’s Conference Championship round did not set a record on Sunday, but still earned the strongest numbers in nearly thirty years.
The NFL’s Conference Championship games averaged 53.4 million viewers on CBS and FOX Sunday, up 1% from last year (52.9 mil), and up 35% from 2009 (39.6 mil).
For the second straight year, the NFL had its most-viewed Conference Championship round since the 1981-82 season, when the games averaged 60.2 million viewers across NBC and CBS.
Though down from last year’s Vikings/Saints game, Sunday’s Jets/Steelers matchup on CBS was the most-viewed AFC Championship Game ever.
Meanwhile, the Packers/Bears NFC title game was the most-viewed early Conference Championship game ever.
Earlier in the postseason, the NFL had its most-viewed Wild Card round ever and its most-viewed Divisional Round ever. The regular season was the most-viewed since 1989.
(NFL press release from TV By The Numbers)
