Once again, the NFL has drawn ratings numbers that dwarf everything else on television.
The NFL announced today that the four divisional round playoff games averaged 34.3 million viewers. Chargers-Broncos got 41.2 million viewers Sunday on CBS, 49ers-Panthers got 33.3 million viewers Sunday on FOX, Colts-Patriots got 31.7 million viewers Saturday on CBS and Saints-Seahawks got 31.1 million Saturday on FOX.
Those numbers are actually down from last weekend, when the four wild card games averaged 35 million viewers. Competitive games tend to get fans tuning in as the game goes on, while blowouts tend to get fans turning the game off in the fourth quarter, so it’s not surprising that the closer wild card games attracted more viewers.
But the numbers are up from last year’s divisional round, when the four games averaged 34 million viewers. So at a time when virtually everything on network television is declining in viewership, the NFL’s ratings aren’t going anywhere but up.