NFL conference title games’ TV viewership up big
Seattle Seahawks' Malcolm Smith intercepts a pass in the final seconds of the second half of the NFL football NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 23-17 to advance to Super Bowl XLVIII. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
NEW YORK >> The NFL conference title games’ television viewership is up big from last season.
The Broncos’ 26-16 win over New England for the AFC championship averaged 51.3 million viewers Sunday on CBS. That’s up 22 percent from the early game a year ago between San Francisco and Atlanta.
The Seahawks’ 23-17 victory over the 49ers in the NFC averaged 55.9 viewers on Fox, up 17 percent from Ravens-Patriots in the late window in 2013.
CBS said Monday that Denver’s win had a 28.1 rating and 51 share — the second-highest rating for the AFC game in 17 years, behind a 28.3 for Jets-Steelers in 2011. Seattle’s victory drew a 28.5/44, the highest-rated non-overtime NFC game since 1997.
Ratings measure the percentage of households with televisions watching a program, while shares represent the percentage of TVs in use at the time.
