What a Month: ESPN's "Postseason NFL Countdown," "NFL Live" and "NFL Primetime" Each Achieve Multi-Year Viewership Highs During 2024 NFL Playoffs Run
· Postseason NFL Countdown Scores Best Viewership Since 2017 for Playoff Run; Super Bowl Sunday Show Most-Watched Since 2020
· NFL Live with Highest Playoff Viewership Since 2015
· NFL Primetime Earns Best Audience for Super Bowl Sunday Telecast Since 2018
ESPN's NFL studio shows each delivered multi-year viewership highs during the NFL postseason. Beginning with the Super Wild Card and running through Conference Championship Sunday, Postseason NFL Countdown (four episodes) and NFL Live (14 episodes) had their most-watched playoffs in seven and nine seasons, respectively.
Adding to the success, NFL Primetime earned its best Super Bowl Sunday audience since 2018, as the show brought viewers inside the stadium, highlighted the overtime thriller between the 49ers and Chiefs and had a set decorated with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and many more of the back-to-back champions.
Postseason NFL Countdown's Super Bowl Sunday Show Caps Season of Success
On the journey to its' most-watched playoff run since the 2017 playoffs (seven seasons), Postseason NFL Countdown averaged 1.5 million viewers (two Super Wild Card episodes, plus Divisional and Conference Championship editions). On Super Bowl Sunday (10 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET), originating from inside Allegiant Stadium, the long-standing pregame show averaged 1.3 million viewers, the show's best Super Bowl show since the last 49ers-Chiefs matchup in 2020 (four seasons).
Each Episode of Postseason NFL Countdown was Up Year-Over-Year
In addition to the collective success, each of the five individual shows were up year-over-year compared to the same show/time slot in the 2023 NFL Playoff run. The postseason run was an extension of the show's regular season success, as Sunday NFL Countdown (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.) earned its most-watched regular season since 2019.
Please note - Each Postseason NFL Countdown above featured ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown cast and commentators: Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Sam Ponder, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, Adam Schefter and reporters including Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin, Sal Paolantonio, Lindsey Thiry, and Ed Werder. Larry Fitzgerald also joined multiple shows.
Chris Berman, Booger McFarland and NFL Primetime Scores Most-Watched Super Bowl Sunday Since 2018
NFL Primetime delivered 1.9 million viewers on Super Bowl Sunday, the show's most-watched episode following America's biggest game since 2018. The final show of the season built upon NFL Primetime's Conference Championship episode (January 28) which drew 1.1 million viewers, up 20% year over year. Both shows aired on ESPN.
During the regular season, NFL Primetime (Sundays, 7:30 p.m. and on-demand) continues to be the most-watched original studio program on ESPN+ during the season.
NFL Live with Most-Watched Playoff Run in Nine Seasons
During the week, fans drove NFL Live (4-5 p.m.) to its most watched playoffs since 2015, with the studio show averaging 486,000 viewers a show (14 shows - January 9 to 26). NFL Live then concluded their season with onsite episodes in Las Vegas and Orlando around Super Bowl LVIII and the Pro Bowl Games. The success continued a years-long viewership success trend for the Emmy-nominated show.
Monday Night Countdown Commentators Draw Nearly Five Million Viewers Ahead of Divisional Game
ESPN's Monday Night Countdown team - Michelle Beisner-Buck, Ryan Clark, Robert Griffin III, Marcus Spears, Scott Van Pelt - led into both of ESPN's postseason telecasts, with their Divisional round edition of Postseason NFL Countdown averaging 4.7 million viewers (combined on ABC and ESPN) leading into Texans-Ravens (January 20), ESPN's first ever Divisional Playoff game. Please note: This audience is excluded from the multi-year high Postseason NFL Countdown viewership average above.
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