The recent NFL playoff games have delivered unprecedented viewership figures, with Prime Video's exclusive streaming broadcast setting a new benchmark for digital sports consumption. This surge in audience numbers highlights the evolving landscape of sports broadcasting, where streaming platforms are increasingly attracting massive live audiences, rivaling traditional television networks.
Prime Video achieved a monumental success with its presentation of the Chicago Bears' thrilling comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers. The game captivated an average audience of 31.61 million viewers, establishing itself as the most-watched NFL game ever streamed exclusively. This impressive feat surpassed the previous streaming record, which stood for merely 16 days, set by Netflix's Christmas Day broadcast of the Detroit Lions versus Minnesota Vikings game, which drew 27.52 million viewers.
The Bears-Packers matchup not only broke the overall NFL streaming record but also represented an all-time high for NFL broadcasts on Prime Video. Compared to the previous year's Wild Card game on the Amazon-owned platform, this year's viewership saw a substantial 43 percent increase from 22.07 million. It is worth noting that the prior year's figures did not incorporate Nielsen's extensive big data analysis, suggesting that the true growth might be even more pronounced.
Beyond Prime Video's success, other major networks also reported significant viewership. Fox Sports garnered the largest audience of the playoff weekend, with 41 million viewers tuning in to watch the San Francisco 49ers triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles. This marked Fox's highest Wild Card round audience since 2015 and the largest on any network since 2022. Additionally, CBS achieved its own record for the 1 p.m. ET Sunday slot in the Wild Card round, drawing an average of 32.71 million viewers for the Buffalo Bills' narrow victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a 5 percent increase year-over-year.
The Sunday night game, featuring the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers, accumulated 28.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. This figure represents an approximate 3 percent increase from the previous year's cross-platform audience and stands as the most-watched Sunday primetime show since the 2025 Super Bowl. Collectively, the five games played on Saturday and Sunday averaged around 32.6 million viewers, significantly surpassing the previous year's average of approximately 29 million, further underscoring the growing appeal and accessibility of NFL playoff action across various platforms.
The opening rounds of the NFL playoffs have underscored a major shift in sports viewership, with streaming services like Prime Video demonstrating their capacity to attract enormous audiences. These record-breaking numbers not only signify a triumph for the platforms but also illustrate the evolving preferences of sports fans, who are increasingly embracing digital avenues to consume live events. The substantial growth observed across multiple networks and platforms indicates a robust and expanding market for NFL content, regardless of the broadcast medium.