NFL Playoffs Continue to Draw Viewers

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Despite some bad games in the NFL postseason over the last two weekends, people have been still watching. Last week, the Wild Card playoffs had its highest viewership in over a decade. Now we have the Divisional Playoffs doing the same thing for the NFL.

‘09 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS MOST WATCHED IN 16 YEARS

AVERAGE OF 33 MILLION FANS WATCHED EACH GAME

VIEWERSHIP UP 15 PERCENT FROM 2008

Football fans across America continue to tune in to NFL games, resulting in the most watched Divisional Playoff weekend in 16 years. An average of 33.0 million fans watched NFL games last weekend, the most for an NFL Divisional Playoff weekend since January 1994 (game-by-game comparison below) and a 15 percent increase from last season (28.8 million viewers).

Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings game on FOX drew 37.7 million viewers to rank as the most watched program on television since Super Bowl XLIII.

Following is a comparison of this past weekend and the 1993 NFL Divisional Playoffs:

2009 NFL Divisional Playoffs

Date & Time	Network (Game)	Viewers
Sat. Jan. 16, 2010  — 4:30 PM ET	FOX (Cardinals at Saints)	27.9 million
Sat. Jan. 16, 2010 – 8:00 PM ET	CBS (Ravens at Colts)	30.6 million
Sun. Jan. 17, 2010  — 1:00 PM ET	FOX (Cowboys at Vikings)	37.7 million
Sun. Jan. 17, 2010 – 4:40 PM ET	CBS (Jets at Chargers)	35.6 million
DIVISIONAL WEEKEND	AVERAGE	33.0 million

1993 NFL Divisional Playoffs

Date & Time	Network (Game)	Viewers
Sat. Jan. 15, 1994 — 12:30 PM ET	NBC (Raiders at Bills)	30.3 million
Sat. Jan. 15, 1994 – 4:00 PM ET	CBS (Giants at 49ers)	28.1 million
Sun. Jan. 16, 1994 — 12:30 PM ET	CBS (Packers at Cowboys)	36.8 million
Sun. Jan. 16, 1994 – 4:00 PM ET	NBC (Chiefs at Oilers)	41.1 million
DIVISIONAL WEEKEND	AVERAGE	34.2 million

Source: NFL & Nielsen Media Research

Rather impressive.

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