Archive · 18 Jan 2026
NFL Sees Increased Viewership for Wild-Card Round
The NFL had a lot of people watching their games recently.
The wild-card round had 32 million viewers, which is 13% more than last year.
The regular season also had more viewers, with an average of 18.7 million per game, which is a 10% increase.
This is partly because of new ways to count viewers, like including people watching outside their homes and on smart TVs.
Some people are saying the games are exciting because of new stars and old favorites.
The NFL is hoping for even more viewers this weekend during the divisional games.
NFL's wild-card round averaged 32 million viewers, a 13% increase from last year.
Regular season averaged 18.7 million viewers per game, a 10% increase.
New measurement methods include out-of-home viewers and smart TV data.
Most-watched wild-card game on record was Kansas City-Buffalo with 50.4 million viewers.
Divisional round games this weekend include 49ers vs. Seahawks and Rams vs. Bears.
- Who
- NFL and Nielsen
- What
- Increased viewership for wild-card round and regular season
- When
- Last weekend and regular season
- Where
- United States
- Why
- New measurement methods and compelling matchups
- Wild-card round viewership
- 32 million viewers
- Increase from last year
- 13%
- Regular season average viewership
- 18.7 million viewers
- Regular season increase
- 10%
- Most-watched wild-card game on record
- Kansas City-Buffalo (50.4 million viewers)