The first numbers for the initial two NFL Divisional Round games are in, showcasing a divergence from last year’s figures in contrasting directions. In the early game on Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-14 victory over the Houston Texans set a new non-Super Bowl NFL record for ESPN and ABC, attracting 32.7 million viewers based on Nielsen fast nationals (expected to surpass 33 million once the final Nielsen numbers are published):
Add it to the record books! @HoustonTexans & @Chiefs deliver record-setting audience for ESPN👏
More on ESPN’s most-watched #NFL game ever: https://t.co/zLboDl2Auq pic.twitter.com/W24JRKhotv
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 20, 2025
In the late Saturday slot, the Washington Commanders’ 45-31 victory over the Detroit Lions on Fox attracted an average of 33.6 million viewers (according to Nielsen fast nationals and Adobe Analytics). However, this represented a 10% drop from last year’s 37.5 million for the San Francisco 49ers’ 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers (also on Fox):
Hail to the @Commanders! 👏
Saturday’s NFC Divisional matchup, featuring Washington’s triumph over Detroit, garnered 33.6 million viewers and is projected to peak at 35.7 million viewers from 9:30-9:45 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/5cWKl3Lb1a
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 19, 2025
Year-over-year trends appear somewhat more favorable than the previous week’s Wild Card Round, which saw significant drops. Although the 10% decline for Fox isn’t ideal, it is important to note that the Packers-49ers game last year was the most-watched Saturday night program of any kind since 1994. This year’s numbers show a 17% increase compared to the Saturday night game two years ago, when the Philadelphia Eagles triumphed over the New York Giants 38-7.
On the other hand, the ESPN/ABC figure is a record for them, surpassing the previous non-Super Bowl record of 31.8 million viewers set during the Baltimore Ravens’ 34-10 Divisional Round win over the Texans last year. This was significant, considering it was ESPN’s first airing of a Divisional Round game and not far above the 31.2 million viewers they received for a Wild Card game (the Dallas Cowboys’ 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) the prior year. Thus, witnessing another uptick is particularly significant, especially for a game involving the always – Saturday – afternoon Texans.
Numbers for NBC’s Sunday afternoon broadcast of the Eagles’ 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams and CBS’ Sunday night broadcast of the Buffalo Bills’ 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens are currently unavailable. Last year, Sunday Divisional Round games averaged 40.4 million viewers for the Detroit Lions’ 31-23 win over the Buccaneers in the afternoon on NBC and 50.4 million (a Divisional Round record) for the Chiefs’ 27-24 win over the Bills on CBS at night.
