NFL Wild Card Weekend delivered strong ratings across all three broadcast networks, highlighted by FOX Sports’ Sunday presentation of the San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, which became the most-watched telecast of the weekend.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the game averaged 41 million viewers, peaking at 47.76 million from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. ET. The figure represents a 14% increase over last year’s FOX NFC Wild Card matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. The game also ranks as FOX’s most-watched Wild Card telecast since 2015 and the most-watched NFL Wild Card game on any network since 2022.
FOX’s Saturday afternoon matchup, featuring the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Carolina Panthers, also drew significant attention. The game averaged 28 million viewers, peaking at just over 36 million, marking the best Saturday Wild Card telecast on any network since 2011. The Saturday broadcast was up 7% from last year’s comparable Chargers-Texans game, which averaged 26 million viewers.
CBS Sports followed with its early Sunday AFC Wild Card game, where the Buffalo Bills topped the Jacksonville Jaguars. The telecast averaged 32.71 million viewers, peaking at more than 41 million. The network noted that this marked the most-watched early-window AFC Wild Card game in CBS history and a 5% increase from last year’s comparable matchup.
NBC Sports closed out the weekend with its Sunday Night Football broadcast, featuring the New England Patriots victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The game averaged 28.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched Sunday Night Football telecast since Super Bowl LIX, according to NBC.
Overall, the numbers reflect a strong weekend for NFL viewing, with all three networks reporting growth or maintaining high levels of engagement compared to previous years. The data underscores the NFL’s continued dominance in broadcast television ratings, particularly during the postseason, where marquee matchups draw audiences well into the tens of millions.
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be happy that any playoffs are on broadcast.
the NFL will be all pay-per-view soon enough.