Don’t have much time to write a wraparound, so here’s an NFL press release on the viewership for NFL Conference Championship Sunday. Viewership was impressive. Ratings were too.
MOST-WATCHED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY IN 30 YEARS
AVERAGE OF 53.7 MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED EACH GAME GIANTS-49ERS THIRD MOST-WATCHED CONF. CHAMPIONSHIP EVER RECORD FIVE 2011 PLAYOFF GAMES TOP 35 MILLION VIEWERS
Football fans across America continue to tune in to NFL games, resulting in the most-watched conference championship Sunday in 30 years. An average of 53.7 million viewers watched NFL games last weekend, the most for an NFL conference championship Sunday since January 1982 (game-by-game comparison below).
The New York Giants-San Francisco 49ers NFC Championship Game on FOX drew 57.6 million viewers to rank as the third most-watched conference championship game ever (chart below).
The Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots AFC Championship Game on CBS drew 48.7 million viewers. The conference championship games are television’s two most-watched shows since Super Bowl XLV.
In addition, a record five 2011 playoff games averaged at least 35 million viewers – up from four in 2010.
2011 NFL Conference Championship Games
Date Network (Game) Viewers Jan. 22, 2012 CBS (Ravens at Patriots) 48.7 million Jan. 22, 2012 FOX (Giants at 49ers) 57.6 million CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND AVERAGE 53.7 million 1981 NFL Conference Championship Games
Date Network (Game) Viewers Jan. 10, 1982 NBC (Chargers at Bengals) 51.6 million Jan. 10, 1982 CBS (Cowboys at 49ers) 68.7 million CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND AVERAGE 60.2 million Most-Watched NFL Conference Championship Games
Date Network (Game) Viewers Jan. 10, 1982 CBS (Cowboys at 49ers) 68.7 million Jan. 24, 2010 FOX (Vikings at Saints-OT) 57.9 million Jan. 22, 2012 FOX (N.Y. Giants at 49ers-OT) 57.6 million Jan. 15, 1995 FOX (Cowboys-49ers) 56.8 million Jan. 23, 2011 CBS (N.Y. Jets at Steelers) 54.8 million Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
That’s it.
