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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Joe Reedy

NFL sees increased viewership for wild-card round, eyes more for divisional games

Seahawks 49ers Football - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

After double-digit increases in its regular-season and wild-card playoff round ratings, the NFL is looking for another large bump in ratings during this weekend's division round.

The league and Nielsen said last weekend's six wild-card games averaged 32 million viewers, a 13% jump from last year. It was also the most-watched opening weekend of the NFL playoffs since the field expanded to 14 teams in the 2020 season.

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