The NFL and its broadcast partners have enjoyed a TV ratings boom this season, but even given the higher expectations recently, Fox Sports hit the jackpot Saturday.
Fox Sports announced Sunday that the San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers Divisional Round game averaged 37.5 million viewers, peaking at 40.9 million late in the game.
The game projects to be the most-watched Saturday telecast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics.
With 37.5 million viewers, Saturday's #NFLPlayoffs game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers projects to be the most-watched Saturday telecast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics – peaking at 40.9 million from 11:00-11:15 PM ET.
The @NFLonFOX… pic.twitter.com/P4ZHtCOzTz
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 21, 2024
Those ratings are up 31% over the Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants game that aired in the same window last season. The game projects to be the most-watched NFL Divisional Round Saturday game ever, and Fox’s most-watched Saturday broadcast in network history.
It didn’t hurt that two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, with huge fan bases, were playing. It also helped that the Packers almost defeated the favored 49ers, and viewers often tune in to see an underdog on the brink of an upset.
Yet the NFL has simply enjoyed a surge in viewership this season. Fox Sports’ broadcast of the Packers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys Jan. 14 averaged 40 million viewers, the network’s highest ratings for a Wild Card Round game since 2015.
Last month, ABC, CBS and Fox announced huge ratings for their Christmas Day games. ABC enjoyed its second-highest ratings for a Monday Night Football game since 1996. CBS’ broadcast of the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders was the most-watched Christmas Day game on any network since 1989.
The NFL has even seen success with its growing streaming-only broadcasts. The Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Wild Card game, the first-ever streaming-only playoff game, attracted 23 million viewers, a figure that pleased both the NFL and NBC/Peacock.
[Fox Sports PR; Photo Credit: Fox Sports]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.