Patriots-Broncos Sets Ratings Records
BOSTON (CBS) - The Patriots-Broncos AFC Divisional playoff matchup was the most watched Saturday night Divisional playoff game in NFL history.
34.2 million viewers tuned in as Tom Brady and the Patriots beat the Broncos 45-10 to advance to the AFC Championship. In addition to being the most watched Saturday night game, the broadcast was the second-highest rated Saturday AFC Divisional playoff game in 18 years and the second-highest rated NFL prime time Divisional playoff game in 11 years.
Saturday's CBS national broadcast recorded a 20.6 household HH rating, the highest Saturday AFC playoff game in 18 years. The highest rating was 23.9/51 recorded during Buffalo's 29-23 victory over the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994. The New York-Green Bay game set the record for the highest rated NFL prime time Divisional playoff game all-time.
Collectively, for the second consecutive season, all four Divisional games averaged over 30 million viewers and the average Divisional game viewership increased four percent from last year.
The local broadcast of the game produced a 44.40 HH rating- percent of houses with televisions tuned into the program – and a 65 share in the Boston (Manchester) designated market area (DMA), becoming the third highest-rated Divisional playoff game in franchise history.
Saturday's HH rating of 44.40 narrowly missed the second highest-rated Divisional playoff game which occurred five years prior (1/14/07) against the San Diego Chargers (44.90). Last year's matchup against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium is the highest-rated Divisional game in franchise history with a HH rating of 47.87.
CBS's national ratings and share peaked at 24.10 and 39 while the local ratings topped 49.80 and 71, approximately at 9:30 pm as Tom Brady was in the process of throwing five first-half touchdown passes, an NFL postseason record, to give the Patriots a 35-7 lead at halftime.
Brady would go on to throw six touchdown passes in the game, tying Joe Montana's record for most touchdown passes in a postseason game in NFL history.
Tune in to the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens Sunday, January 22 at 3pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins with Patriots GameDay on WBZ at 11:30am, with Patriots Preview beginning at noon on the Hub!
