Despite earning the lowest rating of the Divisional Round, Saturday’s clash between the Colts and Patriots managed a solid increase on CBS.
The Colts/Patriots AFC Divisional Round game drew a 17.8 final rating and 31.7 million viewers on CBS Saturday night, up 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Packers/49ers on FOX last year (16.9, 30.9M), but down 4% and 7%, respectively, from Broncos/Patriots in 2012 (18.5, 34.2M).
Colts/Patriots ranks as the third-highest rated and second-most viewed Saturday night Divisional Round game since the current schedule went into effect in 2002.
The game also earned slightly more viewers than Saints/Seahawks on FOX earlier in the day (31.1M), the first time since 2010 that the Saturday night game has outdrawn the afternoon window.
Locally, Saturday’s game earned a 45.3 rating in Boston — topping five of last year’s six Red Sox World Series games. Local ratings in Indianapolis were not immediately available.
(Sat. numbers from Media Life Magazine; additional info from Patriots.com)
