Posted at 4:25 p.m., Tuesday, January 22, 2008
NFL: Giants-Packers draws highest rating since '97
Associated Press
NEW YORK — With huge stars and popular teams, the NFL's conference championship games earned big ratings.The NFC title game drew a 29.0 national rating and 43 share on Fox. The New York Giants' 23-20 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night attracted the highest rating for a conference championship since Green Bay-Carolina earned a 30.1/58 in 1997.
The undefeated New England Patriots' 21-12 win over the heavy underdog San Diego Chargers drew a 25.7/46 on CBS. That was up 2 percent from the early game last year, the Chicago-New Orleans NFC championship that attracted a 25.1/45.
Combined, the two games averaged 49.7 million viewers, the most for a conference championship weekend in 13 years. The Chargers-Steelers and Cowboys-49ers matchups averaged 49.9 million viewers in 1995.
The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time.
