“Bills-Broncos Breaks CBS Viewership Record; 49ers-Seahawks Underwhelms on Fox”

In a historic Saturday of NFL playoff action, the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos achieved record-breaking viewership. Contrastingly, the matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks did not attract the same level of audience interest.

Bills-Broncos Game Sets CBS Viewership Record

The thrilling overtime victory for the Broncos over the Bills averaged 39.6 million viewers on CBS. This figure represents a 17% increase compared to the previous year’s Divisional Round game between the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs, which garnered 33.8 million viewers.

Key highlights from the Bills-Broncos matchup include:

• Most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game of all time.
• Previous Saturday afternoon record was 35.5 million for the New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers in 2012.
• Peak viewership reached 51.3 million during overtime.
• Surpassed all previous Saturday playoff games across networks.

This game marked the most-viewed Saturday telecast since the 1994 Winter Olympics, showcasing the increasing popularity of NFL playoff games.

Seahawks-49ers Game Falls Short

On the other hand, the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant performance over the 49ers resulted in a lopsided score of 41-6. This game, airing during the Saturday primetime slot, attracted an average of 32 million viewers.

The key points regarding the Seahawks-49ers game are:

• A 5% decline in viewership compared to last year’s comparable game, which featured the Washington Commanders against the Detroit Lions.
• Last year’s competitive battle drew 33.6 million viewers.
• Many viewers left once the outcome became evident, contributing to the lower numbers.

Despite the lack of competitiveness, Fox regards the 32 million viewers as a decent outcome given the circumstances.

Implications for Viewership Tracking

These viewership statistics come with a note of caution regarding Nielsen’s new measurement techniques. The updated Big Data + Panel methodology, which incorporates out-of-home viewing, tends to inflate audience numbers for live sports events.

As accurate historical comparisons remain challenging, the viewership figures from the Sunday Divisional Round games are expected to be released soon. This will provide further insight into the audience dynamics surrounding this year’s playoff season.