49ers' win over Lions most-watched NFL game since Super Bowl LVII

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23), tight end George Kittle (85), offensive tackle Trent Williams (71), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19), and linebacker Fred Warner (54), and quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrate after winning the NFC Championship football game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

49ers' NFC championship win over Lions most-watched NFL game since Super Bowl LVII

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 1/29/24

A record television audience watched the Detroit Lions come up short in their quest to make their first Super Bowl.

FOX Sports captured nearly 56.7 million viewers for its telecast of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, giving the network and the NFL the most-watched game since last February's Super Bowl LVII (57). The San Francisco 49ers came back from a 13-point first-half deficit against a Lions team seemingly most of America had been rooting for.

In conclusion of its 30th season of NFL coverage, @NFLonFOX is projected to score its best #NFCChampionshipGame in twelve years with 56,691,000 viewers. pic.twitter.com/OY3m1huB5r
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 29, 2024

Even more remarkable for FOX was that the game was the most-viewed game outside of any Super Bowl since the New York Giants beat the Niners in the 2012 NFC title game en route to their fourth Super Bowl championship.

It's fair to wonder how much higher the ratings could have gone if the Lions held on for the win, though the close nature of the fourth quarter already brought in a massive audience.

Nielsen's data for primetime television is usually released the next day except for holidays. The game took place predominantly during primetime hours (7 p.m. Eastern through 11 p.m. Eastern on Sundays) despite beginning at just after 6:30 on the East Coast.

Viewership for the AFC title game between Kansas City and Baltimore will be released by Tuesday morning, and everyone should expect CBS to celebrate quite loudly once they are.

Unsurprisingly, the participating markets were among the top areas of viewership, as referenced at the bottom of FOX's graphic. Nearly half of the Detroit metropolitan area (46.3 local ratings) and a third of San Francisco's (30.3) tuned in, and four in every five TVs and measured devices were on the game.

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