Packers-Seahawks ratings dip on FOX

GREEN BAY, WI - JANUARY 12: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to pass during a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field on January 12, 2020 in Green Bay, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire)

It is hard to quibble with a 20 rating, but the final game of the NFL Divisional Round neared a multi-year low on FOX.

Sunday’s Seahawks-Packers NFC Divisional Round game averaged a 20.0 rating and 37.24 million viewers on FOX, down 4% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (Eagles-Saints: 20.8, 38.19M) but up 4% in both measures from 2018 (Saints-Vikings: 19.3, 35.65M).

Green Bay’s win, which peaked with 42.92 million viewers, delivered television’s largest audience and second-highest rating since the Super Bowl. The preceding Texans-Chiefs game holds the top spot in the latter measure (20.3).

Including the regular season, it was the fifth NFL telecast to average at least 30 million viewers entering conference championship weekend, the most at this point of the year since 2015-16 (eight).

While massive by virtually any standard, ratings and viewership were among the lowest in years for the late Sunday Divisional Round window. Outside of Saints-Vikings in 2018, no game in the window has averaged a lower rating since 2009 (Chargers-Steelers: 19.6) or a smaller audience since 2010 (Jets-Chargers: 35.63M).*

This year marked the first time since 2015 that the late Sunday window was not the highest rated of the Divisional Round. Keep in mind that the NFL pushed back the start of the Sunday Divisional Round games to 3:00 and 6:30 PM ET this year, two hours later than the previous norm of 1:00 and 4:30 PM.

After ratings and viewership increased for three of four Wild Card games, the results were decidedly mixed in the Divisional Round. Of the four games, three declined in ratings and two did so in viewership. Even so, the round averaged 33.2 million viewers across FOX, CBS and NBC (+2%) — a three-year high. The postseason as a whole is averaging 32.0 million (+5%).

Seahawks-Packers averaged a 10.5 rating in adults 18-49 (-5%), the lowest for the late Sunday window in at least five years. Saints-Vikings two years ago had a 10.6 in the demo.

* Excludes Steelers-Chiefs in 2017, which was originally scheduled to air at 1 PM ET but was rescheduled to primetime due to inclement weather.

[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.14, Fox Sports PR 1.14, NFL PR/Twitter 1.14]

Wild Texans-Chiefs game scores big rating

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

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Comments 7

Steve says:

7 years ago

Population living in EST (50%)and CST (30%) is 80%

Population living in PST is 15%.

Fact. Why do networks not understand this and screw the fans on the east coast?
Hello Larry says:

7 years ago

I actually think not having the 7pm overrun will hurt the league during this weekend. The early game benefits from the time switch but I think this actually hurts the late game.

Either way, I do think a better matchup might do better ratings. I’m not sure if the Packers are that interesting this year like they’ve been earlier in Rodgers’ career. A better matchup might do bigger numbers in this slot but I still think the NFL should go back-and-forth with this time change and see which one works better I’d go back to the 1pm/4:30pm format to see if there’s a difference next season.
spf says:

7 years ago

i’ll just say from personal experience that starting the game two hours later is much more difficult to reconcile with sunday family dinner than the earlier start. especially since this week’s games will also be on a similar schedule.
- Paulsen says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  Early window might benefit more from the new schedule — Noon PT start instead of 10 AM is a big deal on the West Coast.
Esl says:

7 years ago

Wonder if the fans still prefer the traditional1 and 4:30 start for the playoff games prior to the conference championship games.
- Nate Johnson says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  Personally, I don’t mind the change. I think it will take getting use to though. I remember one year when TBS telecast the Elite 8 on a Sunday they had much later tip off starts. The fact that it was different than how CBS would have it back-to-back prior to 60 minutes was a bit off because I wasn’t use to it. Normally on NFL Sundays it’s 1 eastern and 4:25 eastern kickoffs (4:40 in the postseason), with the exceptions of the Championship Sunday and the Super Bowl, but the later time did feel a bit off, but something I just have to get use to.
  
  As a fan, I’m use to Football Saturdays thanks to College Football. Once the College Football regular season ends (week after Army/Navy), in comes NFL Saturday coverage up to the Divisional round with the exception of Week 17. That’s almost 20 weeks of Football on a Saturday and Sunday. The factor again is that NFL Sunday normally starts at 1 eastern. The fact that it begins at a later slot following football on Saturday means that it’ll takes some time to get use to. Championship Sunday and the Super Bowl separate themselves because football is officially played on a single day which leaves plenty of idle time, anticipation, etc. to their kickoff.
- Samuel says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  I didn’t like it. It made me feel as if the conference championship games were these games and now it’s going to be hard to have interest in the actual conference championship games. Having a 12:05/3:40 pacific time set up on two straight Sundays is really odd.