Categories: Sport

NFL wild-card round viewership drops by 9.3% from last year

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: People watch Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on televisions at a bar on February 12, 2023 in Newport Beach, California. (Photo by I RYU/VCG via Getty Images)

The NFL’s wild-card round averaged 28.3 million viewers across television and digital platforms, reflecting a 9.3% decrease from last year’s 31.2 million. The Sunday and Monday matchups saw the steepest declines, while Saturday games remained steady.

Streaming impacts and key matchups

BALTIMORE, MD – JANUARY 09: Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen (6) hits Pittsburgh wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) after a catch and run during the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Baltimore Ravens National Football League game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 9, 2022 in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Baltimore’s 28-14 win over Pittsburgh became Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched game, with 22.07 million viewers, despite a slight dip from last year’s Peacock viewership for the same round. The weekend’s most-watched game, Philadelphia’s victory over Green Bay, drew 35.6 million viewers on Fox, an 11% drop from last year’s Packers-Cowboys game.

Trends across other matchups

Other notable games included Buffalo’s blowout of Denver, which matched last year’s viewership, and Washington’s narrow win over Tampa Bay, which drew 26.2 million viewers but marked a 19% year-over-year decline.

Broader NFL season trends

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 13: Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) signals 1st down during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams on January 13, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While regular season games averaged 17.5 million viewers, marking the sixth-highest average since 1995, viewership declined 2% overall. Streaming services like Prime Video showed gains, while traditional platforms such as “Monday Night Football” on ESPN and ABC experienced declines, partly due to reduced simulcasts.

Herbert Bauernebel

Herbert Bauernebel has been reporting from New York since 1999 and currently works for Bild.de, OE24 TV, and US Live. He also runs the news portal AmerikaReport.de. Bauernebel has covered nearly all major US events of the past quarter-century, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Barack Obama’s election, Donald Trump’s surprise victory, the pandemic, last year’s election showdown, as well as natural disasters such as hurricanes and oil spills. He has also reported firsthand on international events, including the Asian tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the Fukushima disaster. He lives in Brooklyn with his family and holds degrees in communication and political science from the University of Vienna. Bauernebel is the author of a book about his experiences on 9/11, And the Air Was Full of Ash: 9/11 – The Day That Changed My Life.