In the way NFL playoff TV ratings are going, the conference championship games should be a record-breaking weekend for the networks.
NFL conference championship games schedule
- AFC Championship: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS
- NFC Championship: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox
CBS has the Chiefs at Ravens game, the two smallest TV markets of the four teams. But, if this game is anything like Kansas City’s win at Buffalo last week that went down to the final minutes, then this game will be big for CBS. Last year, CBS got more than 53 million viewers for the Chiefs win against Cincinnati.
Fox gets the nightcap, and that game, the Lions at the 49ers, could be the most-watched playoff game ever for the network. Fox got 47.50 million for the Eagles win over the 49ers last season and this one should be much better.
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NFL TV ratings of last year’s conference championship games
- NFC Championship: Philadelphia 31, San Francisco 7, Fox, 47.50 million viewers, Jan. 29, 2023
- AFC Championship: Kansas City 23, Cincinnati 20, CBS, 53.12 million viewers, Jan. 29, 2023
We expect both games this weekend to draw more than the 47.50 million. We’re projecting both to be more than 50 million, especially in the second game, which has two of the top 15 TV markets.
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NFL TV ratings, the Divisional Round’s big numbers
The NFL TV ratings for the Divisional Round were off the charts, with every game setting a record for the network that broadcasted it.
The league continues to dominate TV viewership, with 93 of the 100 most-watched shows in 2023 were NFL games, up from 82 in 2022. Those two conference championships were the second and third most-watched programs on TV. Can you guess what was No. 1? We’ll hit that next week.
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Looking back at last weekend, the Divisional Round dominated, with every game getting more than 30 million viewers, like we predicted.
NFL TV ratings for the Divisional Round
- Baltimore Ravens 34, Houston Texans 10, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 31.8 million viewers
- San Francisco 49ers 24, Green Bay Packers 21, Fox, 37.5 million viewers
- Detroit Lions 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, NBC, 40.4 million viewers
- Kansas City Chiefs 27, Buffalo Bills 24, CBS, 50.393 million viewers