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Audience Analysis: Wild Card Weekend Lowest Since '08; Skating Up On Friday Night

NFL Wild Card weekend had its lowest average viewership since '08. The four games last weekend across ABC/ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox averaged 25.3 million viewers, compared to 24.6 million '08. Last year's four games averaged 30.3 million viewers with many more big-name teams playing. 

NFL WILD CARD WEEKEND AUDIENCE (FOUR GAMES)
YEAR
NETWORKS
AVERAGE VIEWERS (000)
'18
ESPN/ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox
25,293
17
ESPN/ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox
30,274
16
ESPN/ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox
32,600
'15
ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox
29,900
'14
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
34,700
'13
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
30,300
'12
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
31,000
'11
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
32,300
'10
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
29,900
'09
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
25,800
'08
NBC (x2), CBS, Fox
24,600


FRIDAY NIGHT SKATING: In an effort to avoid the NFL Playoffs, the major primetime telecast for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships was moved off of its normal Saturday night slot this year. NBC ended up averaging 4.5 million viewers last Friday night for the women's free skate, which is up from '14 before the Sochi Games, when a Saturday night telecast averaged 4.2 million viewers. That telecast in '14 had competition from an NFL Divisional playoff game. Back in '10, prior to the Vancouver Games, the Saturday primetime skating telecast aired without NFL head-to-head competition, and averaged 5.4 million viewers.

The chart below lists final audience figures from select recent sports telecasts.

TELECAST
DATE
NET
TIME (ET)
RAT.
VIEWERS
(000)
NFC Wild Card: Saints-Panthers
1/7
Fox
4:41-8:00pm
17.5
31,115
Rose Bowl: Georgia-Oklahoma
(CFP semifinal)
1/1
ESPN/
ESPN2
5:12-9:22pm
n/a
26,826
AFC Wild Card: Jaguars-Bills
1/7
CBS
1:06-4:40pm
15.2
25,295
NFC Wild Card: Falcons-Rams
1/6
NBC
8:15-11:26pm
12.8
22,815
AFC Wild Card: Titans-Chiefs
1/6
ESPN/ABC
4:20-8:00pm
13.0
22,153
Allstate Sugar Bowl:
Alabama-Clemson (CFP semifinal)
1/1
ESPN/
ESPN2
9:22pm-12:03am
n/a
21,117
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl:
UCF-Auburn
1/1
ESPN
12:40-4:40pm
4.6
8,449
Outback Bowl:
South Carolina-Michigan
1/1
ESPN2
12:01-3:46pm
2.8
5,095
U.S. Figure Skating Championships
(Women's Free Skate)
1/5
NBC
8:00-11:01pm
2.7
4,484
"Postseason NFL Countdown"
1/6
ABC
3:00-4:20pm
2.5
3,768
College basketball:
Michigan State-Ohio State
1/7
CBS
4:40-6:30pm
2.1
3,302
NBA: Cavaliers-Celtics
1/3
ESPN
8:01-10:16pm
2.0
3,231
NBA: Warriors-Rockets
1/4
TNT
8:14-10:35pm
1.8
2,878
U.S. Figure Skating Championships
1/7
NBC
3:00-6:00pm
1.5
2,278
NBA: Thunder-Lakers
1/3
ESPN
10:35am-12:48pm
n/a
1,955
U.S. Figure Skating Championships
1/6
NBC
4:00-6:00pm
1.3
1,932
"Postseason NFL Countdown"
1/6
ESPN
2:51-4:20pm
n/a
1,704
NBA: T'Wolves-Celtics
1/5
ESPN
6:59-9:37pm
n/a
1,595
NBA: Thunder-Clippers
1/4
TNT
10:35-1:12am
n/a
1,543
"NFL Championship Chase"
1/6
ABC
2:00-3:00pm
1.0
1,407
High school football: U.S. Army
All-American Game
1/6
NBC
1:00-4:00pm
0.9
1,298
Liga MX: Queretaro-Club America
1/7
Univision
6:50-9:00pm
0.6
1,176
PBR: Buck Off at the Garden
1/6
CBS
12:00-1:00pm
0.8
1,167
College basketball: Florida-Missouri
1/6
CBS
1:00-3:30pm
0.7
1,013
Liga MX: Monterrey-Monarcas
1/6
Univision
7:55-10:01pm
0.4
777
College basketball:
Xavier-Providence
1/6
Fox
12:03-2:15pm
0.5
713
Lia MX: Necaxa-Veracruz
1/6
Univision
10:01pm-12:00am
0.3
507
"Road to the CFP National
Championship: Georgia"
1/7
ABC
4:30-5:00pm
0.3
449
"Road to the CFP National
Championship: Alabama"
1/7
ABC
4:00-4:30pm
0.3
404
"World of X Games: WSL Surfing"
1/7
ABC
3:00-4:00pm
0.3
378

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