NFL playoff ratings have declined across the board through two rounds, but the league’s numbers remain spectacular by almost any standard.
Last Sunday’s Buccaneers-Saints NFL Divisional Round game averaged an 18.1 rating and 35.46 million viewers on FOX, down 10% in ratings and 5% in viewership from Seahawks-Packers last year (20.0, 37.24M), but still the most-watched television program since last year’s Super Bowl. Including additional streaming and Spanish-language viewership on Fox and NFL platforms, it averaged 36.42 million.
While massive in almost any other context — no non-NFL television program has had as large an audience since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series — the numbers were still the lowest in years for the late Sunday Divisional Round game. Tampa Bay’s win was the least-watched in the window since 2009 (Chargers-Steelers: 34.11M) and the lowest rated since at least 1998.
Earlier in the day, Browns-Chiefs averaged an 18.3 and 34.33 million on CBS — down 10% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Texans-Chiefs last year (20.3, 35.40M), but up 7% and 17% respectively from Chargers-Patriots in 2019, which aired two hours earlier (17.1, 29.22M).
Kansas City’s win delivered television’s highest rating since last year’s Super Bowl.
Shifting to the previous day’s games, NBC averaged a 13.7 (-15%) and 26.24 million (-11%) for Ravens-Bills (27.1M including streaming) — the NFL’s least-watched primetime Divisional Round game since 2009 (Cardinals-Panthers: 23.78M) and lowest rated since the league began scheduling primetime playoff games in 2002. Despite the lower numbers, it was still NBC’s top Saturday night show since a 2017 Lions-Seahawks Wild Card game.
The game, which peaked with 28.3 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 PM ET, averaged a 52.8 rating and whopping 75 share in Buffalo.
Rounding out the weekend action, Rams-Packers pulled a 14.05 (-15%) and 26.50 million (-10%) — the least-watched Saturday afternoon Divisional Round game since 2009 (Ravens-Titans: 25.45M). The game averaged 27.19 million including additional streaming and Spanish-language viewership on Fox and NFL platforms.
All eight NFL playoff games that can be compared to last year have declined. The full list of 2020 NFL ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.20, Fox Sports PR, NBC Sports PR]
