The National Football League’s postseason is undeniably the largest annual spectacle in American sports television, consistently generating audience figures that dramatically exceed its own regular season and competitor leagues. This publication aims to dissect the multifaceted viewership trends that underpin the NFL playoffs’ dominant position in the US media market. We will focus on both television and streaming broadcasts, as both have been known to post strong viewing numbers during the NFL playoffs.
NFL Playoffs Historical Background
The National Football League’s origins can be traced back to the 1920s, and it has long stood as the most popular league in the US. A key highlight of the NFL is the postseason, which was introduced in 1933. Playoffs have since been subject to numerous changes, moving from four teams in 1967 to 12 teams for three decades. Most recently, the postseason grew to a 14-team format.
Its popularity has also translated into notable viewership when it comes to US television, with the 1999 season reaching ratings of 21.1. Following a tumble to 17.2 in 2001, ratings remained relatively stable throughout the 2000s and stayed within the 17 to 19 range.
Sources: Sports Media Watch, Chicago Bears, Britannica
Fast-forwarding to the modern era, and the league’s popularity surged to record heights with the advent of streaming. The 2023 NFL playoffs, encompassing the Wild Card, Divisional, and Conference Championship rounds, as well as the Super Bowl round, became the most-watched in history at the time. This stretch averaged $45 million viewers across TV and streaming services.
The Divisional Round alone achieved an average viewership of around $40 million, while Championship Sunday peaked at over $56 million viewers. This immense engagement was highlighted by a record 53.3% percent share of all Americans using television during the game windows.
Ratings improved as well compared to the data above:
- The 2010s saw ratings climb past 25.1 in 2015.
- 2019’s ratings jumped to 20.8 from 2009’s 17.3.
- The ratings during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons hovered around the 20 mark.
Sources: Wikipedia, NFL Football Operations
NFL Playoffs Viewership
As established, the NFL playoffs tend to be the highest-viewed sporting event in the US. Its numbers also dwarf the traffic generated by the NFL’s regular season. In 2024, the postseason attracted a whopping 141.1% more viewers on average than regular games. During the 2023 season, which generated higher viewership, the playoffs outranked the regular season by an even more impressive 151.4%. Similar discrepancies can be observed over the past decade.
Sources: Evoca, Wikipedia
Top Games of the 2024 Playoffs Season
While the 2024 season generated less viewership than 2023 in total, some of the games managed to achieve staggering numbers in terms of viewership.
- The Philadelphia Eagles’ victory against the Green Bay Packers was the most-seen game of the Wild Card playoffs, with its viewership amounting to 35.9 million.
- As for the Division playoffs, the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills achieved a viewership of 43.1 million.
- The second-highest-performing game took place on February 20, when over 57.7 million viewers watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills.
- The matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, 2025, was by far the most-viewed game of the season. A total of 127.7 million individuals tuned in to watch it on both TV and streaming services.
| Round | Game | Viewers (Millions) |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Playoffs | Los Angeles Chargers vs Houston Texans | 26.6 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens | 22.1 | |
| Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills | 31.2 | |
| Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles | 35.9 | |
| Washington Commanders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 29 | |
| Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams | 25.4 | |
| Divisional Playoffs | Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs | 33.8 |
| Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions | 33.6 | |
| Los Angeles Rams / Philadelphia Eagles | 37.9 | |
| Baltimore Ravens / Buffalo Bills | 43.1 | |
| Conference Championships | Washington Commanders / Philadelphia Eagles | 44.2 |
| Buffalo Bills / Kansas City Chiefs | 57.7 | |
| Super Bowl LIX | Kansas City Chiefs / Philadelphia Eagles | 127.7 |
Sources: Wikipedia
Viewership Across Different Platforms
One of the biggest contributors to the NFL’s continued growth in terms of viewership is the emergence of streaming services. During 2024, for instance, a Peacock Exclusive game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins was streamed to around 23 million sports fans, according to NBC Universal. It should be noted that stations in both teams’ home cities were also able to broadcast the game, however, and this resulted in a total audience of 27.6 million.
Streaming, in general, appears to dominate. When it comes to the 2024 regular season, Netflix stood at the top with an average viewership of 24 million. NBC’s average was 10% lower at 21.6 million, while Fox’s audience could not reach 19 million.
| NFL Viewership by Network (Millions) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Network | Average NFL Viewers 2024 | Average NFL Viewers 2023 |
| Netflix | 24 | NA |
| NBC | 21.6 | 21.4 |
| CBS | NA | 19.3 |
| Fox | 18.4 | 19 |
| ESPN | 15 | 17.4 |
| Amazon | 13.2 | 11.9 |
Sources: Evoca, Statista, NBC Universal
According to data from Statista, the NFL is popular among most age groups, though the 35-44 years range appears to be the largest in terms of individuals labeled as avid fans.
| Age Group | Avid Fans | Casual Fans | Not A Fan At All |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 – 34 years | 35% | 31% | 34% |
| 35 – 44 years | 41% | 32% | 27% |
| 45 – 64 years | 39% | 34% | 28% |
| 65+ years | 32% | 34% | 34% |
Sources: Statista
College Football Playoffs vs the NFL
College football playoffs also tend to gain a lot of traction. However, ratings have been on a somewhat steady decline throughout the 2010s, as shown by Nielsen data and Sports Media Watch. The biggest contrast can be observed when we examine the data from 2014 to 2022, as college playoffs held during the 2014 season averaged close to 10, while the figure dropped to 6.5 by 2022.
Sources: Sports Media Watch
Moreover, college games tend to perform worse than the games held during the regular NFL season, and the same can be said about playoffs. In 2022 alone, the NFL playoffs gained viewership three times higher than college football’s average results of 13.3 million.
Sources: Sports Media Watch
The contrast is similar when it comes to TV ratings as well, with the NFL consistently attracting far better ratings than college games when it comes to their respective playoff performance.
Sources: Sports Media Watch
Below, you can observe the number of viewers of each game in the seasons spanning 2014 and 2022. Out of all the games in this list, the 2014 playoff game between Ohio State and Oregon gained the most attention, with around 34.1 million individuals tuning in to watch it on ESPN Megacast.
Meanwhile, 2022 saw Tulane and USC attract roughly 4.2 million viewers, making it the least-viewed game on the list.
| Year | Game | Ratings | Viewers (Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Georgia/Ohio State | 9.8 | 22.446 |
| TCU / Michigan | 10 | 21.701 | |
| Georgia/TCU | 8.7 | 17.223 | |
| Penn State / Utah | 5.4 | 10.187 | |
| Alabama /Kansas State | 4.8 | 9.135 | |
| Tennessee / Clemson | 4.6 | 8.59 | |
| Tulane / USC | 2.3 | 4.165 | |
| 2021 | Georgia / Alabama | 12.1 | 22.563 |
| Georgia / Michigan | 8.1 | 17.192 | |
| Alabama / Cincinnati | 8.6 | 16.647 | |
| Ohio State / Utah | 8.2 | 16.631 | |
| Baylor / Mississippi | 5.1 | 9.785 | |
| Oklahoma State / Notre Dame | 4.2 | 7.957 | |
| Michigan State / Pittsburgh | 4 | 7.646 | |
| 2020 | Ohio State / Clemson | 9.8 | 19.149 |
| Alabama / Notre Dame | 9.6 | 18.893 | |
| Alabama / Ohio State | 10.3 | 18.653 | |
| Georgia / Cincinnati | 4.9 | 8.727 | |
| Texas A&M / North Carolina | 4.3 | 7.577 | |
| Iowa State / Oregon | 3.8 | 6.679 | |
| Oklahoma / Florida | 3.2 | 5.766 | |
| 2019 | LSU / Clemson | 14.3 | 25.588 |
| Clemson / Ohio State | 11.2 | 21.151 | |
| LSU / Oklahoma | 9.5 | 17.214 | |
| Oregon / Wisconsin | 8.7 | 16.304 | |
| Georgia / Baylor | 5.7 | 10.223 | |
| Penn State / Memphis | 3.8 | 6.22 | |
| Florida Virginia | 3.5 | 6.067 | |
| 2018 | Clemson / Alabama | 13.8 | 25.28 |
| Alabama / Oklahoma | 9.9 | 19.069 | |
| Clemson / Notre Dame | 9.4 | 16.809 | |
| Ohio State / Washington | 8.9 | 16.781 | |
| Texas / Georgia | 7.3 | 13.298 | |
| LSU / UCF | 4.7 | 8.471 | |
| Florida / Michigan | 5 | 8.366 | |
| 2017 | Alabama / Georgia | 15.6 | 28.443 |
| Georgia / Oklahoma | 13.7 | 26.913 | |
| Alabama / Clemson | 11.4 | 21.474 | |
| Wisconsin / Miami | 6.3 | 11.727 | |
| Penn State / Washington | 5.7 | 10.167 | |
| Ohio State / USC | 5.3 | 9.468 | |
| UCF / Auburn | 4.6 | 8.377 | |
| 2016 | Clemson / Alabama | 14.2 | 25.266 |
| Alabama / Washington | 10.7 | 19.344 | |
| Clemson / Ohio State | 9.8 | 19.237 | |
| USC / Penn State | 8.6 | 15.74 | |
| Florida State / Michigan | 6.2 | 11.461 | |
| Oklahoma / Auburn | 5.6 | 9.515 | |
| Wisconsin / Western Michigan | 3.1 | 5.442 | |
| 2015 | Alabama / Clemson | 15 | 26.182 |
| Alabama / Michigan State | 9.6 | 18.641 | |
| Clemson / Oklahoma | 9.1 | 15.73 | |
| Stanford / Iowa | 7.4 | 13.552 | |
| Ohio State / Notre Dame | 5.6 | 9.759 | |
| Mississippi / Oklahoma State | 5.1 | 8.94 | |
| Houston / Florida State | 3.7 | 5.604 | |
| 2014 | Ohio State / Oregon | 18.6 | 34.148 |
| Ohio State / Alabama | 15.2 | 28.271 | |
| Oregon / Florida State | 14.8 | 28.164 | |
| Michigan State / Baylor | 5.2 | 9.086 | |
| Georgia Tech / Mississippi State | 5 | 8.953 | |
| Boise State Arizona / Arizona | 4.6 | 7.406 | |
| TCU / Mississippi | 3.4 | 5.013 |
Sources: Sports Media Watch
The NFL’s Impact on TV and Streaming
The National Football League (NFL) has solidified its position as a central force driving both traditional television and streaming consumption. According to recent industry data from Nielsen, the league has acted as a major multiplatform catalyst during the fall viewing season of 2025, significantly influencing how audiences spend their time.
October 2025 Viewership Figures Soar
The most notable effect is a major boost to broadcast television. In October, broadcast viewing saw a substantial rise, primarily driven by NFL game days. Sundays, in particular, showed the most dramatic shift, with broadcast’s share of total TV soaring by 5.3 percentage points compared to the rest of the week. Conversely, both general cable and streaming consumption saw their market share slightly recede on Sundays, illustrating how powerful live football viewing is in redirecting audience attention.
Several streaming platforms with exclusive or partial rights to games experienced notable gains in overall viewing time. Peacock, for example, saw its viewership jump 19% month-over-month, and its share on Sundays was higher than its monthly average. Paramount+ also benefited, with an 8% increase in viewership and a higher share of total TV on Sundays.
Furthermore, Amazon Prime Video experienced a substantial 3-point spike in its market share, specifically during its Thursday Night Football broadcast, reaching 6.4% on those game nights.
These figures confirm that while live games anchor broadcast viewership, targeted content rights are a powerful tool for driving engagement and overall growth for streaming platforms.
Sources: Nielsen
The NFL and Viewer Behavior
One tradition that continues to live on across the US is out-of-home (OOH) viewing. This refers to the audience that watches NFL playoffs and the regular season at airports, bars, and other public locations.
As shown by Nielsen, OOH viewing’s overall appeal is strengthening, showing a more than 6% growth in interest among Americans during 2023 compared to 2021, with an even steeper increase of 6.8% among women. This rising popularity contributed to a 7% increase in average viewership during that season, according to ESPN, making it the most-watched season since 1995.
The communal experience of watching high-stakes games is especially relevant as streaming services secure exclusive broadcast rights. As established, the Peacock-streamed Wild Card matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins also attracted OOH viewership of over 3 million.
Some major games, such as the three nationally broadcast games on Thanksgiving, saw an average of 32.2 million live viewers in 2023, with a substantial portion of the audience (over 41% for one specific game) watching OOH.
Sources: Nielsen
Conclusion
Overall, the data unequivocally positions the National Football League’s postseason as a dominant cultural fixture and the most powerful content engine in American media. While it remains a critical anchor for conventional broadcast channels, redirecting audience share back toward them on game days, the league simultaneously serves as a powerful catalyst for the growth of streaming services when it comes to sports.