With all four games won on the final play, the NFL Divisional Round was a ratings hit.
Sunday’s Bills-Chiefs AFC Divisional Round game averaged an NFL season-high 21.7 rating and 42.74 million viewers on CBS, marking the highest rated and most-watched Divisional Round game since Packers-Cowboys on FOX in 2017 (26.1, 48.52M) and the best such game on CBS since Steelers-Broncos the previous year (23.6, 42.95M).
The Chiefs’ back-and-forth overtime win, which peaked with 51.7 million viewers, jumped 20% in ratings and 21% in viewership from Buccaneers-Saints on FOX last year (18.1, 35.46M) and 9% and 15% respectively from Seahawks-Packers two years ago (20.0, 37.24M).
CBS has in consecutive weeks televised the most-watched Wild Card game in seven years (49ers-Cowboys: 20.7, 41.5M) and the most-watched Divisional in five, with both topping the 40 million mark. Including Raiders-Cowboys on Thanksgiving (40.8M), CBS has aired the three most-watched games this season and the only three games to crack the 40 million mark.
This season marks the first time since at least 2000 — and likely further back — in which three games have averaged at least 40 million prior to conference championship weekend.
Earlier Sunday, Rams-Buccaneers averaged a 19.8 and 38.14 million on NBC — the network’s largest NFL audience since it resumed airing games in the 2006 season (not counting the Super Bowl). The previous high was 37.11 million for Steelers-Chiefs in the 2017 Divisional Round, a game that was postponed to primetime due to inclement weather.
Regardless of network, it was the most-watched Divisional Round game in the early Sunday window since Cowboys-Packers on FOX in 2015 (44.38M). The Rams’ narrow win, which saw them nearly blow a 27-3 lead to Tom Brady and company, increased 8% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Browns-Chiefs on CBS last year (18.3, 34.33M).
Compared to Texans-Chiefs on CBS two years ago, ratings actually fell 2% (from 20.3) while viewership increased 8% (from 35.4M). Due to the addition of Nielsen out-of-home viewing, which is not included in the “household” ratings, it is increasingly common to see ratings fall short of two years ago even as viewership increases.
On Saturday, 49ers-Packers delivered a 17.8 and 36.92 million on FOX — the largest audience for a Saturday NFL playoff game under the current scheduling format that began in 2002. The previous high was 35.6 million for a Saints-49ers Divisional game on FOX in 2012. It was also the most-watched Saturday night television program since the 1994 Winter Olympics, per Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill.
Keep in mind the out-of-home effect with these historic highs; just three years ago, Cowboys-Rams had a slightly higher rating in the same window (17.9) with nearly four million fewer viewers (33.35M).
San Francisco’s win jumped 30% in ratings and 41% in viewership from Ravens-Bills on NBC last year (13.7, 26.24M) and 11% and 26% respectively from Titans-Ravens on CBS two years ago (16.0, 29.41M).
Rounding out the weekend, Bengals-Titans averaged a 15.8 and 30.75 million on CBS Saturday afternoon — the largest audience for a Saturday afternoon Divisional Round game since Chiefs-Patriots on NBC in 2016 (31.50M). Again, out-of-home would seem to be the primary factor in that multi-year high. Vikings-49ers two years ago (16.6) and Colts-Chiefs in 2019 (16.8) both had higher ratings in the same window with neither cracking the 30 million viewer mark.
The Bengals’ win, which peaked with 38.36 million viewers, rose 13% in ratings and 16% in viewership from Rams-Packers on FOX last year (14.1, 26.50M).
For all NFL ratings this season, see the following page.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.25, network PR]
