Following a record-setting regular season and Wild Card Weekend, fans continued to make the NFL appointment viewing. An average of 35.1 million viewers watched NFL games last weekend, the most ever for an NFL Divisional Weekend and a six percent increase from last season (33 million viewers). The 35.1 million average surpasses the previous Divisional record of 34.2 million in 1993.
Sunday’s New York Jets-New England Patriots game on CBS drew 43.5 million viewers ranking as the most-watched Divisional Playoff game ever and is the most-watched show since the record-setting Super Bowl XLIV last February. Jets-Patriots and Seattle Seahawks-Chicago Bears on FOX produced the most-watched Divisional Sunday in 17 years, averaging 37.8 million viewers.
Saturday’s Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers on CBS and Green Bay Packers-Atlanta Falcons on FOX combined to average 32.5 million viewers ranking as the most-watched Divisional Saturday in history.
All four Divisional Playoff games averaged more than 30 million viewers for the first time ever and accounted for the four most-watched shows on television last week (chart below).
Most-Watched Shows on Television, Week of Jan. 10-16, 2011
Program
Average Viewers
1. CBS Sunday Divisional Playoff (Jets-Patriots)
43.5 million
2. CBS Saturday Divisional Playoff (Ravens-Steelers)
34.0 million
3. FOX Sunday Divisional Playoff (Seahawks-Bears)
32.5 million
4. FOX Saturday Divisional Playoff (Packers-Falcons)
30.8 million
5. ESPN BCS Championship (Auburn-Oregon)
27.3 million
