Ratings Roundup: NFL Sees 8% Drop During Wild Card Weekend; ESPN Experiences Most-Watched Cotton Bowl in CFP Semifinal By SVG Staff
Friday, January 17, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, the NFL saw a drop of 8% in ratings during the six games in Wild Card weekend, the CFP Semifinals on ESPN saw an average of 17.8 million viewers for the Cotton Bowl and an average of 17.8 million viewers for the Orange Bowl, respectively, and more.
NFL Viewership Drops 8% for Wild Card Weekend The NFL's playoff ratings took a hit over the extended wild-card weekend, according to Sportico. Per Nielsen's live-plus-same-day data, the six wild-card games averaged 27.8 million viewers, which marked an 8% decline versus the 30.2 million per game they scared up in last year's opening sextet. The average deliveries were down 2.42 million viewers per game compared to the 2024 wild-card slate. Here is a breakdown of each game:
Chargers vs. Texans on CBS
The early window on Saturday saw 26 million viewers, which was up 1%, or 175,000, versus last year's Browns-Texans blowout on NBC.
Steelers vs. Ravens on Prime Video
Saturday night's Steelers-Ravens Wild Card playoff game on Prime Video attracted the most concurrent viewers ever to the service. Per Nielsen, the game reached an all-time high of 24.66M viewers during the 9:00-9:15PM ET portion of the 2nd quarter. In addition to establishing the highest peak audience on record for Prime Video, it also marked the largest peak audience figure for an NFL Wild Card Saturday Night game since 2022.
Despite the lopsided nature of the contest and Baltimore's 21-0 halftime lead, Prime Video's average audience of 22.07 million viewers also established an all-time high. In fact, Saturday night's Wild Card game cleared the NFL on Prime's best-ever average audience mark by nearly five million viewers (vs. 17.29M, Packers-Lions, 12/5/24).
The streamer's first-ever NFL postseason event capped off a tremendous season of NFL coverage on Prime Video that welcomed the franchise's second consecutive season of double-digit viewership growth, and a set of new all-time highs for Thursday Night Football, which will enter its 20th season in September.
Below find viewership highlights from Saturday night's game. Please note that all the below figures are from Nielsen's Panel Only measurement.
According to Nielsen, Steelers-Ravens on Prime Video peaked at 24.66M viewers (9:00 - 9:15PM ET).
Saturday's Steelers-Ravens game also registered the highest peak audience for an NFL Wild Card Saturday Night game since 2022.
Saturday's audience posted a 31% increase over the previous all-time peak (18.87M, Packers-Lions on 12/5/24).
Prime Video averaged 22.07 million viewers on Saturday night, setting an all-time high for the NFL on Prime.
Saturday's viewership posted 67% higher than the 2024 TNF season average (vs. 13.20M), and 28% higher than the previous all-time high for the NFL on Prime (17.29M, Packers-Lions, 12/5/2024).
Average viewership of Steelers-Ravens on Prime Video landed slightly below (-3%) last year's Saturday Night Wild Card matchup between the Dolphins and Chiefs (22.86M), which featured a competitive first half.
Steelers-Ravens posted a 7% increase over the 2023 Saturday Night Wild Card matchup between the Chargers and Jaguars (20.61M), which was decided on the final play of the game.
Five Most-Watched NFL on Prime games:
22.07M, Steelers-Ravens, 1/11/2025
17.29M, Packers-Lions, 12/5/24
16.23M, Cowboys-Giants, 9/26/24
15.26M, Seahawks-Cowboys, 11/30/23
15.06M, Vikings-Eagles, 9/14/23
Among viewers in the sought-after P18-34 demographic, Steelers-Ravens averaged 3.98M, a new all-time high for the NFL on Prime and 14% higher than the previous mark (3.48M, Vikings-Eagles, 9/14/2023).
Among viewers in the P18-49 demographic, Steelers-Ravens averaged 9.54M, a new all-time high for the NFL on Prime and 24% higher than the previous mark (7.69M, Cowboys-Giants, 9/26/2024).
Prime Video's NFL Wild Card pregame show averaged 2.03M on Saturday night while facing overlap from the earlier Wild Card game, marking an increase of 33% over the 2024 season average of TNF's pregame show TNF Tonight (1.53M).
Prime Video's NFL Wild Card Nightcap postgame show averaged 3.54M on Saturday night, marking an increase of 74% over the 2024 season average of TNF's postgame show TNF Nightcap (2.04M).
Broncos vs. Bills on CBS
Kicking off the early afternoon window on Sunday was Broncos vs. Bills on CBS. The game saw 31.1 million viewers, which was up 1%, or 53,000 viewers, compared to the network's lone wild card broadcast of 2024 (Steelers-Bills).
Packers vs. Eagles on FOX
35.9 million viewers tuned in across FOX, FOX Deportes, and FOX Sports streaming platforms for Philadelphia's Wild Card victory over Green Bay. This was the most-watched telecast of the week on any network with 35,885,000 viewers on FOX. This was also FOX's second-best Wild Card performance since 2017 (39,346,000 viewers for New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers). In addition, the audience peaked with 39,510,000 viewers from 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. ET.
Commanders-Buccaneers on NBC
Sunday's nightcap between the Commanders and Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium averaged 29 million viewers, which was down 19% from last year's primetime Rams-Lions showcase (36 million). The previous number included streaming impressions. Linear only, the telecast delivered 26.2 million, which was off 19% versus 32.1 million.
Vikings vs. Rams on ESPN
ESPN concluded the NFL's Wild Card Weekend with the Vikings and Rams (January 13, 8:15 p.m.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
Ratings Roundup: NFL Sees 8% Drop During Wild Card Weekend; ESPN Experiences Most-Watched Cotton Bowl in CFP Semifinal By SVG Staff 
