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]
