If you need further proof that the NFL rules the airwaves, just take a look at the two press releases I’m going to post for you below.
First, NFL Divisional Weekend drew on average 34 million viewers for the four games played this past weekend. It marks the third consecutive year that we’ve seen so many people watching. And with three of the four games playing close for the most part, the contests for the most part hooked viewers across the nation.
CBS was the big winner this past weekend having 37.7 million people watching the double overtime thriller between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos on Saturday and another 35.3 million viewing the Houston Texans-New England Patriots game on Sunday.
Fox had 32.1 million people taking a gander at the Seattle Seahawks-Atlanta Falcons game on Sunday and 30.9 million seeing the Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers game in the Saturday primetime contest.
These four games were the most watched programs for the week ending on Sunday, January 13. In addition, the viewership for the Ravens-Broncos gave CBS the most watched Saturday AFC Divisional Playoff game dating back to 1987.
So the numbers were quite strong for the NFL on Divisional Weekend.
DIVISIONAL WEEKEND AVERAGES 34 MILLION VIEWERS FOR RECORD THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
RAVENS-BRONCOS ON CBS MOST-WATCHED SATURDAY AFC DIVISIONAL IN 26 YEARS
7 NFL GAMES RANK AS ONLY TV SHOWS WITH 30 MILLION VIEWERS SINCE SUMMER OLYMPICSFor a record third consecutive year, the four Divisional Playoff games averaged more than 34 million viewers and accounted for the four most-watched shows on television last week (chart below).
Saturday night’s Baltimore Ravens-Denver Broncos game on CBS drew 35.3 million viewers ranking as the most-watched AFC Saturday Divisional Playoff since at least 1987.
Since the Summer Olympics, seven NFL games have accounted for the only programs on television to reach 30 million viewers – four Divisional playoff games, two Wild Card playoff games, and the final Sunday Night Football game.
Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Jan. 7-13, 2013
Program Average Viewers 1. CBS Sunday Divisional Playoff (Texans-Patriots) 37.7 million 2. CBS Saturday Divisional Playoff (Ravens-Broncos) 35.3 million 3. FOX Sunday Divisional Playoff (Seahawks-Falcons) 32.1 million 4. FOX Saturday Divisional Playoff (Packers-49ers) 30.9 million 5. ESPN BCS Championship (Notre Dame-Alabama) 26.4 million 6. NCIS 21.1 million 7. Big Bang Theory 20.0 million 8. Golden Globe Awards 19.7 million 9. NCIS: Los Angeles 17.9 million 10. Person of Interest 15.7 million Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
And from last week, the NFL notes that the four Wild Card Playoff games averaged over 30 million viewers. That was mostly helped by the 38.1 million people who watched the best game of the weekend between the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins on Fox. NBC’s Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay which was played on Saturday, January 5 in primetime had just over 30 million viewers while the Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens on CBS the following day was just below that mark.
Cincinnati at Houston could only muster 23.6 million viewers for NBC.
We have the numbers for Wild Card Weekend.
WILD CARD WEEKEND AVERAGES 30 MILLION VIEWERS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
SEAHAWKS-REDSKINS ON FOX THIRD MOST-WATCHED WILD CARD GAME ALL-TIME
For the third consecutive season, the Wild Card playoffs averaged more than 30 million viewers per game. Sunday’s Seattle Seahawks-Washington Redskins game on FOX drew 38.1 million viewers ranking as the most-watched non-Olympic telecast since the Academy Awards (39.3 million on ABC, Feb. 26, 2012) and the third most-watched Wild Card game ever behind the 2011 AFC Wild Card on CBS (Steelers-Broncos, 42.4 million) and 2010 NFC Wild Card on FOX (Packers-Eagles, 39.3 million).
The four games were also the four most-watched shows on television for the weeek ending January 6. (chart below).
Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Dec. 31, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013
Program
Average Viewers
1. FOX Wild Card Playoff (Seahawks-Redskins)
38.1 million
2. NBC Wild Card Playoff (Vikings-Packers)
30.3 million
3. CBS Wild Card Playoff (Colts-Ravens)
29.6 million
4. NBC Wild Card Playoff (Bengals-Texans)
23.6 million
5. The Big Bang Theory
19.3 million
6. 2013 Rose Bowl (Wisconsin-Stanford)
17.0 million
7. Person of Interest
16.2 million
8. Two And A Half Men
15.4 million
9. New Years Rockin’ Eve
13.3 million
10. 2013 Fiesta Bowl (Oregon-Kansas State)
12.3 million
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
There you have it.
