Led by a pair of heavyweight AFC contests, the NFL had its most-viewed Divisional Round ever.
Four NFL Divisional Round games averaged 35.1 million viewers on FOX and CBS last weekend, up 6% from last year (33.0 mil), and up 21% from 2009 (28.8 mil).
This marks the highest average ever for the NFL’s Divisional Round, topping the previous high of 34.2 million set in the 1993-94 season.
The two AFC games on CBS earned the largest audiences of the weekend.
Saturday’s Ravens/Steelers game was the most-viewed Saturday Divisional Round game since the 1987-88 season, while Jets/Patriots was the most-viewed Divisional Round game period over that same span.
Results were mixed in the NFC. On Saturday, Packers/Falcons earned the largest Saturday Divisional Round audience on FOX since the 1995-96 season. Meanwhile, Sunday’s Seahawks/Bears game was the only telecast of the postseason to have a decline in ratings or viewership.
The record numbers for the Divisional Round come one week after the NFL had its most-viewed Wild Card round ever. These records postseason results follow the NFL’s most-viewed regular season in over twenty years.
(NFL press release from TV By The Numbers)
