Getty Image / Lachlan Cunningham
The NFL is the most dominant cultural force in America, that’s for sure. As television viewership across all genres and events decreases ,the NFL just keeps chugging along.
Naturally, NFL Playoff Games, along with games on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, are going to get the biggest ratings of all. But, viewership is even higher than normal this year, with Saturday night’s San Francisco 49ers 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers setting a new record.
According to Fox, an average of 37.5 million viewers watched the game, aired in prime time on the East Coast.
Fox claims that’s the most watched Saturday broadcast of any kind since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, France, which is pretty incredible. Also, if you want to feel old, 1994 was thirty years ago.
To put that number in perspective, the most-watched television show of the 2022-2023 season was Paramount’s Yellowstone, at 11.550 million. That’s a far cry from the astounding numbers the NFL is putting up, especially in Saturday night’s playoff game.
Fans who tuned in got to see a sensational game, too. Green Bay, the final team in the NFC to make the playoffs, controlled the game from nearly start to finish. But, The 49ers got the majority of the breaks to keep it close, and then a touchdown drive led by quarterback Brock Purdy and finished off with a Christian McCaffrey gave them a 24-21 lead with just over one minute remaining in the football game. Then, Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw a terrible interception as the Packers were looking to get in field goal range to tie the game up.
I’m sure the NFL is looking forward to seeing how many people will watch Sunday’s primetime game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, which could set another viewership record.