The divisional round of the 2025-26 NFL playoffs once again proved that the American football competition is the US’ top TV draw.
The four-game slate, which took place across January 17 and 18, averaged 39.2 million viewers across four broadcasters and two broadcast windows, up 5% on the equivalent fixture set from the 2024-25 campaign (although changes in how data is collected may account for that).
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The most-watched game among these was Sunday evening’s overtime win for the LA Rams over the Chicago Bears on Comcast-owned NBC, which averaged 45.4 million viewers (including 5.3 million on the Peacock streaming service), up from the 42.9 million of last season (which did not account for streaming viewership and as such was higher on linear-only).
Performing similarly well earlier that day was the Disney-owned ESPN and ABC linear networks’ coverage of the New England Patriots’ win over the Houston Texans, which collectively averaged 37.97 million, which ESPN says was the most-watched event in the history of the network.
ESPN claims that the matchup surpassed all overs since 1979, and was the largest non-Super Bowl event in Disney’s history (which began with its acquisition of ESPN in 1996); however, the inclusion of ABC viewership into the equation certainly skews the narrative.
The day before, CBS also set a record, with its coverage of the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Denver Broncos averaging 39.6 million, making it the most-watched Saturday playoff game in NFL history, overcoming the 2024 match between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers (37.5 million), and was the most watched Saturday sports broadcast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIndeed, the only network that did not notch a record of some sort was Fox, which showcased the Seattle Seahawks’ win over the 49ers to an audience of 32 million, down from the 34.6 million from last year’s equivalent game.
ESPN’s bumper broadcast of the early Sunday NFL divisional round fixture was followed up with another major showing the next day with the 2026 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship game.
The top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers, powered by the heroics of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, defeated the tenth-seeded Miami Hurricanes 27-21 with an average TV audience on ESPN of 30.1 million.
That game, which peaked at 33.9 million, became the most-watched CFP National Championship game since the inaugural edition of the playoff format, which replaced the Bowl Championship Series in 2014, and overall was the fourth most-watched college football game since 1996, and the eighth most-watched ESPN broadcast ever.
The College Football Playoffs performed well overall, averaging 16.3 million viewers (up 4%) across its 11-game slate (the second year since the number of teams was expanded).
