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2w ago

Wild Card Weekend Delivers Multi‑Year Highs as Prime Video Sets NFL Streaming Record

Streaming now draws mass NFL audiences, with Prime’s 31.61 million Bears–Packers telecast topping Netflix’s recent mark.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NFL Wild Card logo on the field before the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans in an AFC Wild Card Round game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) makes the eventual game winning touchdown catch against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of an NFC Wild Card Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Overview

  • Amazon Prime Video’s Bears–Packers game averaged 31.61 million viewers per Nielsen and peaked at 34.16 million, surpassing Netflix’s 27.52 million Christmas audience and marking Prime’s highest concurrent and single‑day global viewership by its own data.
  • Fox’s 49ers–Eagles averaged about 41 million viewers, the biggest audience of the weekend and the most‑watched Wild Card game on any network since 2022.
  • CBS’s Bills–Jaguars averaged 32.71 million viewers, the highest ever for the early‑Sunday Wild Card window, while NBC’s Chargers–Patriots drew 28.9 million for the top Sunday primetime broadcast since last year’s Super Bowl.
  • The five weekend Wild Card windows across Fox, CBS, Prime Video, and NBC averaged roughly 32.76 million viewers per game, reflecting broad gains versus last season.
  • Nielsen’s newer Big Data + Panel methodology and expanded out‑of‑home measurement have lifted reported totals this season, and the divisional round now shifts to traditional broadcasters on CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC/ESPN.