NFL viewership climbed to nearly unprecedented heights in the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.
As reported on this site earlier in the month, NFL games averaged 17.9 million viewers across NBC, FOX, CBS, ESPN and NFL Network during the 2010-11 season — up 8% from last year (16.6 mil), and the league’s highest regular season average since 1989 (18.0 mil).
In particular, games on broadcast (NBC, FOX, CBS) averaged 20.0 million viewers, up 9% from last year (18.4 mil), and up 21% from two seasons ago (16.6 mil).
The regular season was the most-viewed ever among women, Hispanics and African Americans. (For game-by-game regular season NFL ratings, click here).
The good times continued to roll into the playoffs. Last weekend’s NFL Wild Card games averaged 32.3 million viewers on NBC, FOX and CBS, up 7% from last year (29.9 mil), and an all-time record for Wild Card Weekend.
Wild Card Weekend included the most-viewed Wild Card game ever (GB/PHI: 39.3 mil, FOX), the most-viewed Wild Card Saturday game since 1994-95 (NYJ/IND: 33.4 mil, NBC), and the most-viewed early Saturday Wild Card game ever (NO/SEA: 28.4 mil, NBC).
