NBC’s Wild Card Saturday doubleheader averaged 30.8 million viewers with two very compelling games. The Kansas City-Indianapolis game ended with a 45-44 Colts win and the second largest comeback in the history of the NFL Postseason. And the nightcap between New Orleans and Philadelphia gave the Saints their first road playoff win in the team’s history with a late-second game-winning field goal giving them a 26-24 victory.
The average rating for the doubleheader was a 17.55 rating with an average viewership of 30.8 million people. Viewership was up 14% from last year’s doubleheader.
KC-Indy had a final rating of 16.0 with a 30 share, up 11% from last year’s afternoon opener. New Orleans-Philly garnered a 19.1/31 surpassing last season’s nightcap by 10%.
Next year, NBC’s two games will be spread over the Wild Card and Divisional Rounds.
Here’s the NBC press release.
NBC AVERAGES “WILD CARD SATURDAY” RECORD 30.8 MILLION VIEWERS FOR TWO THRILLING GAMES
Saints’ 26-24 Last-Play Victory over Eagles Delivers Most-Watched Saturday Wild Card Game Ever With 34.4 Million Viewers
Colts’ 45-44 Comeback Win Over Chiefs Posts 27.6 Million Viewers – No. 2 All-Time For Early Saturday Wild Card
More than 33 Million Minutes of “Wild Card Saturday” Live Streamed Via NBC Sports Live Extra – Best Day in NBCSports.com History Excluding Super Bowl
NBC to Televise 2014 Pro Bowl on Sunday, January 26 at 7 pm ETSTAMFORD, Conn. – January 6, 2014 – Last weekend’s historic NBC “Wild Card Saturday” was the most-watched Wild Card Saturday ever, averaging 30.8 million viewers – up 14% from last year’s 26.9 million average, according to Fast National data from The Nielsen Company. NBC Sports Live Extra’s streaming of the two Wild Card games also delivered record consumption.
Saturday’s slate featured two playoff games decided by two points or less on the same day for the first time in NFL postseason history as the Indianapolis Colts overcame a 28-point deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 45-44 and the New Orleans Saints scored the game-winning points on a field goal as time expired to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-24. The NFL instituted Wild Card Saturday for the 1990 season when it expanded the playoffs from five to six teams per conference.
The Saints’ first road playoff victory in franchise history was the most-watched Wild Card Saturday game in NFL history, averaging 34.4 million viewers. The 34.4 million viewership is up 14% from last year’s primetime Wild Card matchup (30.3 million for Green Bay’s 24-10 win over Minnesota).
Saints-Eagles (8:15-11:23 p.m. ET) earned a 19.1 rating/31 share – up 10 percent from last season (17.3/28). Viewership peaked at 36.6 million for the game’s final minutes from 11-11:23 p.m. ET.
The Colts’ come-from-behind victory, highlighted by Andrew Luck’s 443 passing yards and four touchdown throws, averaged 27.6 million viewers – up 17% from last year (23.6 million viewers for Houston’s 19-13 win over Cincinnati). Chiefs-Colts ranks as the second most-watched early Saturday Wild Card game ever behind NBC’s telecast of Seattle’s 41-36 win over New Orleans on January 8, 2011 (28.3 million viewers).
The AFC Wild Card telecast (4:35-8:07 p.m. ET) earned a 16.0 rating/30 share – up 11 percent from last season (14.4/28). Viewership peaked at 38.1 million from 8-8:07 p.m. ET.
Wild Card Saturday delivered the best day in NBCSports.com history excluding Super Bowl with a record 33.9 million minutes of consumption – an increase of 122% increase from last season – through NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product. In addition, Wild Card Saturday on NBC Sports Live Extra averaged a record 53.2 minutes per visit, up 27% from 2013.
That is all for this round of posts.
