It says a lot about the NFL that a first round playoff game can earn over thirty million viewers and still hit a three-year low.
Saturday’s NFC Wild Card game, won by the Saints over the Lions, earned an 18.2 final rating and 31.780 million viewers on NBC — down 3% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year’s comparable game (NYJ/IND: 18.7, 33.350M), and up 1% and down 1%, respectively, from the comparable game in 2010 (PHI/DAL: 18.0, 32.124M).
The game ranks as the least-viewed Saturday night NFL Wild Card game since 2009 (IND/SD: 27.792M). Having said that, the game also ranks as the third-most viewed Saturday night Wild Card game ever, behind only last year and 2010.
Overall, Lions/Saints earned the fourth-largest audience for an NFL game on NBC since the network resumed airing games in the 2006-07 season.
Not surprisingly, Lions/Saints was the top primetime program of the week on broadcast in household ratings, P2+ viewership and the adults 18-49 demographic (11.3).
(Saturday’s numbers from Media Life Magazine)
