NFL Playoffs Experience Significant Ratings Boost
The NFL is riding a wave of success in television ratings. After strong performances in the regular season and wild-card playoffs, the league now sets its sights on the division round this weekend. Officials expect another substantial increase in viewership numbers.
Wild-Card Round Achieves Record Viewership
Last weekend's six wild-card games delivered impressive results. They averaged 32 million viewers, marking a 13% jump compared to the previous year. This figure represents the most-watched opening weekend of the NFL playoffs since the league expanded to 14 teams in the 2020 season.
Overall, the wild-card round became the most-viewed since 2015. It also ranked as the fifth highest since Nielsen started tracking average viewer numbers in 1988. Five of the games showed increases from last year, while the sixth remained steady.
Regular Season Also Shows Strong Growth
The regular season contributed to this positive trend. It averaged 18.7 million viewers per game, a 10% increase. This made it the second-highest average on record, highlighting the league's broad appeal.
New Measurement Methods Impact Ratings
Some of the increase in ratings stems from changes in how viewers are counted. Nielsen introduced its Big Data Panel methodology for all events last September, coinciding with the start of the current television season.
Earlier this year, Nielsen expanded its measurement scope. It began including out-of-home viewers for all states except Hawaii and Alaska. The company also incorporated data from smart TVs alongside traditional cable and satellite set-top boxes. Previously, Nielsen measured only the top 44 media markets, covering about 65% of the country.
League Officials Express Optimism
Hans Schroeder, the NFL's executive vice president of media distribution, commented on the success. "It was a great weekend of football all around," he said. "Every year, there's a new set of stars and players emerging. You have Drake Maye from New England, who's a potential MVP. On the other end, you have an established star like Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, who may be the other MVP favorite. He played a heck of a game with a fourth-quarter comeback."
Division Round Aims to Build on Past Success
Last year's four divisional matchups averaged 37.1 million viewers. The record for the NFL's second weekend of the playoffs stands at 40 million, set two years ago. That year, the Kansas City-Buffalo matchup led the way, averaging 50.4 million viewers. It became the most-watched divisional or wild-card game on record.
Fox also achieved a milestone two years ago. Its broadcast of the Green Bay-San Francisco Saturday night divisional matchup averaged 37.5 million viewers. This made it the most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game on record.
Schedule Challenges and Fair Play
This weekend's schedule presents some challenges. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. This drew criticism because the 49ers played in Philadelphia in the late afternoon Sunday window, giving them a short week. Meanwhile, the Rams and Chicago Bears both played on Saturday.
The Rams and Bears will close the weekend on Sunday night on NBC. The last time at least one team did not have a short week between the wild-card and divisional rounds was the 2018 season.
Schroeder addressed these scheduling issues. "We have teams every week playing from Monday night to Sunday," he explained. "That's just the way it breaks every year. Some team on Sunday has to play Saturday the next weekend. We work very hard with our football ops team to ensure we start with what's competitively fair."
