Sunday’s epic playoff showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills more than lived up to the hype.
Many people thought this was the year Josh Allen and the Bills were going to FINALLY get over the hump and beat the Chiefs … However, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes managed to put them in their place once again as Kansas City held on to a dramatic 27-24 victory.
It’s no secret that NFL ratings are booming. It seems like every week a new record is being set. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Divisional Weekend pulled in huge numbers.
However, even the most hopeful of CBS executives couldn’t have expected Bills-Chiefs to attract as many viewers as they ended up with.
With an average of 50.393 million viewers, Sunday’s game was the most-watched Division Round game in NFL HISTORY.
NFL Ratings: Sunday's #Chiefs vs. #Bills game was the most-watched Divisional Round game ever with 50.393 million viewers, per CBS.
The NFL is 👑 https://t.co/oFsQ1ynKjz pic.twitter.com/DlqNUSFGvt
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 23, 2024
The previous record was the 2017 Packers-Cowboys Divisional Round game on FOX, which averagedv48.52 million viewers.
Pete Rozelle & Sonny Werblin are having a drink in the great luxury box in the sky celebrating as the fan base grows.
— Michael Joyner (@DrMJoyner) January 23, 2024
The broadcast reached a peak of 56.25 million viewers during the game’s most intense moments.
Notably, Chiefs-Bills now holds the title for the largest audience of the entire NFL season, surpassing the previous high set by the Commanders-Cowboys matchup on CBS Thanksgiving Day, which garnered 41.76 million viewers.
Plus another 4M in Canada https://t.co/FZpI7sr2Et
— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) January 23, 2024
With the AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and Ravens slated for this Sunday on CBS, and the NFC Championship game featuring the Lions and 49ers to be broadcast by FOX later that evening, the NFL is poised for even more record-breaking viewership numbers.
The NFL Divisional Round Games have averaged 40.0 Million Viewers per the @NFL
Chiefs v. Bills on CBS Averaged 50.4 Million Viewers – Most-Watched Divisional or Wild Card Game on Record
In total, 126.7 million viewers tuned in for the Divisional Round.
NFL RATINGS REIGN… pic.twitter.com/7Bd2LQ8GUk
— Sportico (@Sportico) January 23, 2024
It’s no secret that NFL football is the single most valuable property in all of television.
Roger Goodell has to be smiling from ear-to-ear at what the future seems to hold. After all, the numbers show absolutely no dip in sight.
What’s your prediction for viewership numbers for this weekend’s conference championship games?
How about the Super Bowl?
What do you think the sexiest Super Bowl matchup would be – 49ers-Chiefs? … Or do you think the underdog story of the Detroit Lions would be more intriguing???