Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Patriots’ playoff victory over Texans sets viewership record on ESPN
The Patriots-Texans audience was up 12 percent over last year’s Chiefs-Texans divisional playoff matchup.
The Patriots’ 28-16 victory over the Texans last Sunday afternoon in the AFC divisional playoff round was the most-watched event in ESPN history, per Nielsen viewership data.
The broadcast drew 37.965 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes, and 37.910 million across ESPN and ABC alone.
Both measures stand alone as a viewership record at ESPN, which launched in 1979 and has been televising the NFL since 1987.
Across Disney-owned properties, it is the most-watched sporting event in the company’s history, excluding Super Bowl broadcasts.
The Patriots-Texans audience was up 12 percent over last year’s Chiefs-Texans divisional playoff matchup on ESPN and ABC, which was the previous record-holder.
Advertisement:
Viewership peaked at 44.9 million viewers in the 5:45-6 p.m. window, late in the game’s second half.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com