Despite an ugly rout, ESPN’s second NFL Wild Card Game still posted a solid increase over last year.
The Chiefs/Texans NFL Wild Card Game earned a 16.2 overnight rating on ESPN and ABC Saturday afternoon, up 23% from Cardinals/Panthers on ESPN alone last year (13.1) but down 6% from Chiefs/Colts on NBC in 2014 (17.2). Overnights peaked at an 18.1 from 5:45-6 PM ET, midway through the Chiefs’ 30-point win.
The 16.2 overnight is tied as the fourth-highest for the early Saturday Wild Card window since the current scheduling format began in 2002, matching Bengals/Texans in 2013 and behind Chiefs/Colts in ’14, Saints/Seahawks in 2011 (18.3) and Jets/Bengals in 2010 (16.9).
By contrast, ESPN’s 13.1 overnight last year was the lowest for any Wild Card game since at least 1998.
Kansas City was the top market with a 52.1 rating, followed by Houston (32.6). Denver (24.0), Buffalo (22.6) and Norfolk, VA (22.0) rounded out the top five. Austin, TX was not included in the results due to a Nielsen issue.
(Sat. numbers from ESPN)
