A move from the early afternoon to primetime produced mixed results for the NFL and NBC.
Sunday’s Steelers/Chiefs AFC Divisional Round game had a 19.8 final rating and 37.1 million viewers on NBC, down 6% in ratings but up 1% in viewership from Seahawks/Panthers last year (21.1, 36.7M) and down 20% and 16% respectively from Cowboys/Packers in 2015 (24.9, 44.4M), both of which aired in the afternoon on FOX.
Compared to last year’s Divisional Round game on NBC, Packers/Cardinals on a Saturday night, ratings increased 5% from an 18.8 and viewership 10% from 33.7 million.
The Steelers’ win, which peaked with 39.1 million viewers from 9-9:30 PM ET, ranks as the highest rated and most-watched primetime Wild Card or Divisional Round game ever (dates back to 2002) — topping the previous highs of the 2014 Saints/Eagles Wild Card on NBC (19.1, 34.4M). Keep in mind it was the first such game to air on a Sunday night.
The game was originally scheduled to take place at 1 PM ET but was pushed back due to inclement weather. It drew a lower rating than the past three Divisional Round games in the 1 PM Sunday window — Seahawks/Panthers last year, Cowboys/Packers in 2015 and 49ers/Panthers in 2014 (19.9). However, it earned a larger audience than all-but-two over the past 15 years, trailing only Cowboys/Packers in ’15 and Cowboys/Vikings in 2010 (37.7M).
Outside of the Super Bowl, Sunday’s game was the most-watched NFL telecast on NBC since the network reacquired rights to the league. The previous high was 35.4 million for last year’s Seahawks/Vikings Wild Card. It also delivered the second-highest NFL rating on NBC behind Seahawks/Vikings (21.0).
Figures do not include the 260,000 who streamed coverage on NFL and NBC digital platforms. With those numbers added to the mix, the game had 37.4 million.
| MOST-WATCHED NFL GAMES ON NBC, EXCLUDING SUPER BOWL Since resuming coverage in 2006 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| # | Game | Rtg. | Vwrs. |
| 1 | Steelers/Chiefs 2017 Divisional |
19.8 | 37.10M |
| 2 | Seahawks/Vikings 2016 Wild Card |
21.0 | 35.36M |
| 3 | Saints/Eagles 2014 Wild Card |
19.1 | 34.36M |
| 4 | Ravens/Patriots 2015 Divisional |
19.6 | 34.05M |
| 5 | Packers/Cardinals 2016 Divisional |
18.8 | 33.73M |
| 6 | Jets/Colts 2011 Wild Card |
18.7 | 33.35M |
| 7 | Eagles/Cowboys 2010 Wild Card |
18.0 | 32.12M |
| 8 | Lions/Saints 2012 Wild Card |
18.2 | 31.78M |
| 9 | Cowboys/Wash. 2012 Week 17 |
17.0 | 30.281M |
| 10 | Vikings/Packers 2013 Wild Card |
17.3 | 30.276M |
(Wknd. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box 1/16)
