NFL Wild Card weekend averaged 29.9 million viewers across ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox this year, marking the first time since ’10 that the four-game average did not cross the 30-million viewer threshold. Wild Card weekend viewership is down 14% from 34.7 million viewers last year, which remains the most-viewed Wild Card weekend on record. This year’s average is flat compared to ’10. ESPN this year replaced NBC as broadcaster for the early Saturday game, but the first-ever postseason game on cable did not translate to the lowest audience on record for a Wild Card telecast. The 21.7 million viewers for Panthers-Cardinals on Saturday was higher than NBC’s Cardinals-Falcons game in ’09 (21.0 million viewers).
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NFL WILD CARD WEEKEND AUDIENCE (FOUR GAMES)
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YEAR
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NETWORKS
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AVERAGE VIEWERS (000)
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'15
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ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox
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29,900
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'14
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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34,700
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'13
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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30,300
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'12
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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31,000
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'11
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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32,300
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'10
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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29,900
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'09
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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25,800
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'08
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NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
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24,600
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STAR IS BRIGHT: Fox finished with 42.3 million viewers for Cowboys-Lions on Sunday afternoon, marking the third-best Wild Card game audience on record, behind only last year’s 49ers-Packers matchup on Fox (47.1 million viewers) and CBS’ broadcast of the Tim Tebow-led Broncos' OT win over the Steelers in ’12 (42.4 million viewers). The last time the Cowboys played in a Wild Card game was in ’10, when NBC drew 32.1 million viewers for a Saturday primetime matchup against the Eagles. Meanwhile, CBS finished with 28.3 million viewers for the Colts-Bengals on Sunday, down 8% from 30.9 million viewers for Chargers-Bengals last year. It marked the lowest audience for a Wild Card telecast on the net since Ravens-Patriots drew 27.4 million viewers in ’10.
