MOST-WATCHED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY IN 28 YEARS - Ingles

VIKINGS-SAINTS MOST-WATCHED CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE “THE CATCH” & MOST-VIEWED NON-SUPER BOWL TELECAST SINCE “SEINFELD” FINALE IN 1998

JETS-COLTS MOST-WATCHED AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN 24 YEARS

AVERAGE OF 52.9 MILLION FANS WATCHED – UP 34 PERCENT FROM 2008

Football fans across America continue to tune in to NFL games, resulting in the most-watched Conference Championship Sunday in 28 years. An average of 52.9 million fans watched NFL games last weekend, the most for an NFL Conference Championship Sunday since January 1982 (game-by-game comparison below) and a 34 percent increase from last season (39.6 million viewers).

The Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints NFC Championship Game on FOX drew 57.9 million viewers to rank as the most-watched conference championship game since the 1981 NFC Championship Game featuring “The Catch” (Dallas-San Francisco on CBS on January 10, 1982, 68.7 million viewers) and the most watched non-Super Bowl program on television since the series finale of Seinfeld 12 years ago (76.3 million on May 14, 1998).

The New York Jets-Indianapolis Colts matchup on CBS drew 46.9 million viewers to rank as the most-watched AFC Championship Game in 24 years (Patriots-Dolphins on NBC on January 12, 1986, 47.5 million).

2009 NFL Conference Championship Games
Date & Time - Network (Game) - Viewers
Jan. 24, 2010 CBS (Jets at Colts) - 46.9 million
Jan. 24, 2010 - FOX (Vikings at Saints) - 57.9 million
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND - AVERAGE - 52.9 million

1981 NFL Conference Championship Games
Date & Time - Network (Game) - Viewers
Jan. 10, 1982 - NBC (Chargers at Bengals) - 51.6 million
Jan. 10, 1982 - CBS (Cowboys at 49ers) - 68.7 million
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND - AVERAGE - 60.2 million