The NFL is a monster.
The San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers game was the most watched Wild Card game ever. It averaged 47.1 million viewers. It's never really a surprise anymore when the NFL dominates American television viewing. When regular season football games started trumping World Series games it was clear that the sporting public had made it's choice. Television viewers want their football and they want a lot of it. Each year, more people are watching football. That's not really too surprising but that rate at which more people are watching is truly something.
NBC announced that it's Wild Card Saturday ratings were up nine percent from last year. FOX announced that their Sunday Wild Card ratings were up 17 percent from last year. It was also it's best ever rating for a Wild Card game. CBS announced that it's Sunday Wild Card ratings were up three percent from last year. It was the best for an AFC Wild Card game in 19 years. The NFL announced that the average of 34.7 million viewers per game made it the most-watched Wild Card weekend ever.
It's clear that the teams involved play a huge role in the viewing. The 49ers-Packers game was of much greater interest across the nation than the San Diego Chargers-Cincinnati Bengals game. Still, all the games are getting a ton of interest. The NFL, already by far the most popular sport, is getting more viewers every single year. It's that annual growth that is so astonishing. There's nothing gradual about it. Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue are smiling. I'm smiling as long as Roger Goodell and all the suits at 280 Park Avenue don't get greedy and muck up a great thing.
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