AFC Championship ratings hit lows on CBS, but the numbers were not bad.
Sunday’s Jaguars-Patriots AFC title game had a 24.3 rating and 44.1 million viewers on CBS, down 3% in ratings and 5% in viewership from Packers-Falcons on FOX in the same window last year (25.0, 46.3M) and down 17% in both measures from Patriots-Broncos two years ago (29.3, 53.3M).
Compared to last year’s Steelers-Patriots AFC Championship, which aired in the late window, ratings dropped a tick and viewership 8% from a 24.4 and 47.95 million.
The Patriots’ comeback win was the lowest rated and least-watched conference championship game in its timeslot since 2013 (49ers-Falcons: 24.2, 42.0M). It was the lowest rated and least-watched AFC Championship, regardless of window, since 2015 (Colts-Patriots: 22.5, 42.1M).
Overall, it ranks 19th out of the 34 conference championship games dating back to 2002.
Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s game delivered television’s largest audience since last year’s Super Bowl. Outside of the NFL, no program has had a larger audience on a single network since the series finale of “Friends” in 2004 (52.5M).
For the first time since 2015, CBS aired the most-watched games of the regular season and postseason.
Though down only slightly overall, ratings fell a disproportionate 10% among adults 18-49 (14.1 to 12.7). Ratings in the other key adult demographics were not available.
Ratings, Viewership, For Early Conference Championship Game (Past Decade)
[Sun. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 1.23]
