Like its AFC counterpart, the NFC Championship Game was a mixed bag in the Nielsens.
Packers/Falcons delivered a 25.0 final rating and 46.3 million viewers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game on FOX, down 15% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year’s Patriots/Broncos AFC title game on CBS (29.3, 53.3M) and down 9% and 7% respectively from Packers/Seahawks on FOX in 2015 (27.4, 49.8M).
Compared to last year’s Cardinals/Panthers NFC Championship, which aired in primetime, ratings increased 4% from a 24.1 and viewership 1% from 45.7 million.
The final nationals are a notable improvement over the fast-nationals Fox Sports announced Monday, a 24.8 and 46.0 million.
The Falcons’ blowout win, which peaked at a 26.5 and 50.0 million in the fast-nationals, ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched afternoon conference championship game in four years — 49ers/Falcons in 2013 (24.2, 42.0M). It also delivered the third-worst performance for the NFC Championship in the past eight seasons, ahead of only Cardinals/Panthers last year and 49ers/Falcons in ’13.
Sunday’s game was the highest rated of the day, edging the Steelers/Patriots AFC title game on CBS (24.4). The early conference championship window has now outrated the late game in three straight seasons. Steelers/Patriots still finished ahead in viewership (48.0M).
Figures do not include viewership on Fox Sports GO (326K) or Fox Deportes (91K).
(Wknd. numbers from Fox Sports, ShowBuzz Daily 1/24)
