KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens matchup on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium was the “most-watched AFC Championship Game ever,” according to CBS Sports.
An average of more than 55 million viewers tuned in, with the game peaking at 64 million viewers.
The NFL ON CBS delivers the most-watched AFC Championship Game ever with more than 55 million viewers.
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 30, 2024
Sunday's game peaked with more than 64 million viewers.
CBS Sports leads all networks with its best postseason viewership since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998, including… pic.twitter.com/3AgeMDxy0b
One week earlier on Jan. 21, the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills set the record for the largest audience ever for an NFL Divisional playoff game.
Kansas City at Buffalo peaked at 56 million viewers.
Those massive audiences helped drive the most-watched playoffs in NFL history.
The league announced Tuesday that the 12 games played in the Super Wild Card, Divisional and Conference Championship rounds averaged 38.5 million viewers, a new record and 9% increase from last season. Ratings records date back to 1988.
NFL playoff games also generated a 53.3 share, meaning well over half of all TVs in use were tuned in during the games.
That's also a new record for the league, while the 120.4 million total viewers for Sunday's AFC and NFC championship games marked the highest viewership in 2016-17.
“Our record-breaking viewership is driven by the incredible play on the field that only the NFL postseason can deliver and presented by the best media partners in the business," Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of media distribution with the NFL, said in a statement from the league. “All eyes now turn to Las Vegas for what will be the culmination of an unbelievable season with Super Bowl LVIII."
The success of the 2023 playoffs represents the latest in a long line of ratings wins for the NFL.
Fox Sports and NBC Sports reported in May 2023 that Super Bowl LVII, a 38-35 Chiefs victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, was the most-watched Super Bowl ever with 115.1 million viewers.
With Super Bowl LVIII set for Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the Chiefs have another chance to break viewership records this season.
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