NFL Conference Championships: NFC +20%; AFC +17%

NFL TV viewing keeps rising. The NFC Championship game this past weekend on Fox featuring the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions was up 20% compared to last year's NFL game -- to 56.7 million Nielsen-measured viewers.

Viewing was also 7% higher vs. the AFC Championship a year ago, which ran in the same late-afternoon Sunday time period (with 53.1 million viewers) a year ago.

Fox says this is the best NFC Championship game result in 12 years -- and the fourth most-watched non-Super Bowl telecast event. 

The early-afternoon game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Baltimore Ravens took in 55.5 million viewers on CBS -- up 17% from 47.5 million NFC Championship in the same time period a year. 

Although the AFC Championship game was the largest audience on record for an AFC Championship game, it should be noted that prior to 2020 Nielsen did not include out-of-home viewing.

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The previous record was for the New York Jets-Pittsburgh Steelers for 2011 AFC Championship, with 54.9 million viewers.

National TV ad spend from 101 airings of this year's Fox NFC game was estimated to be $86.9 million, according to EDO Ad EnGage. Biggest spenders: GMC ($5.6 million); State Farm ($4.8 million); and Taco Bell ($3.7 million).

CBS' AFC game earned $84.4 million also from 101 airings. Universal Pictures ($4.2 million), State Farm ($3.3 million), and Intuit Turbo Tax ($2.5 million) were some of the major advertisers.

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