Even though it was not much of a game, Giants/Packers was a strong enough matchup to give FOX a metered market bump.
The Giants/Packers NFC Wild Card Game had a 24.0 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, up 2% from Green Bay/Washington last year (23.6) but down 4% from Lions/Cowboys in 2015 (25.0). The 24.0 is the fifth-highest for an NFL Wild Card Game since 1999, behind Packers/Eagles in 2011 (24.4), Lions/Cowboys in ’15, Steelers/Broncos in 2012 (25.9) and 49ers/Packers in 2014 (27.7).
A more negative interpretation is that the 24.0 is the third-lowest for the late Sunday Wild Card window in the past seven years, behind the four games mentioned above.
For the weekend, Giants/Packers was easily the highest rated of the four Wild Card games, though that goes without saying given it aired in the best timeslot. Dolphins/Steelers was a distant second with a 19.2 on CBS.
The last time the Giants and Packers met in the NFL playoffs, 2012, their Divisional Round matchup had a 27.4 overnight — still the highest for that round since 1997.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 1/9)
