A second-straight AFC Championship thriller between the Bengals and Chiefs delivered a four-year ratings high.
Sunday’s Bengals-Chiefs AFC Championship Game averaged a 25.5 rating and 53.12 million viewers on CBS, making it the highest rated and most-watched conference championship game since Patriots-Chiefs five years ago (53.9M). Out-of-home viewing was not included in viewership estimates prior to the 2020 season, though the household rating indicates that the game would have hit a four-year high regardless.
The Chiefs’ win, which peaked at just shy of 60 million viewers (59.37M), increased 8% in ratings and 11% in viewership from the same matchup in an earlier window last year (23.6, 47.85M). Compared to 49ers-Rams on FOX in the same late window a year ago, ratings increased 9% (from 23.35) and viewership 6% (from 50.23M).
Earlier in the day, the Eagles’ drama-free rout of the shorthanded 49ers averaged a 22.7 and 47.50 million on FOX — down just 3% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year’s aforementioned NFC title game between the 49ers and Rams, and down just 4% and 1% respectively from Bengals-Chiefs in the same afternoon window.
Despite the lopsided score, viewership peaked in the second half at 52.3 million from 5:15-5:30 PM ET.
The two conference championship games rank as the most-watched of the NFL season, surpassing the previous high of 45.65 million for Cowboys-49ers in the Divisional Round.
In the out-of-home era, five of six NFL conference title games have averaged at least 45 million viewers — compared to only one of the previous six. The lone exception was Bills-Chiefs two years ago, which averaged 42.3 million.
For a full list of AFC and NFC Championship ratings over the past two decades, see the following page. For NFL ratings throughout the 2022 season, see this page.
(Nielsen estimates from network PR)
