Last weekend's NFL divisional round playoff games averaged 39.2 million viewers according to Nielsen, the second-most watched since audience average numbers started being tracked in 1988.
It was just off the record of 40 million, which happened two years ago. The four games were up 5% from last year.
Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events last September with the start of the current television season.
Earlier this year, Nielsen began measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska, along with including data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.
Nielsen previously measured only the top 44 media markets, which covered 65% of the country.
Sunday night's overtime thriller between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears led the way, averaging 45.4 million viewers on NBC. The audience peaked at 52.6 million in the game's closing minutes.
The Rams' 20-17 victory was the most-watched divisional playoff game for NBC, surpassing the previous mark of 41.1 million in January, 1994, when Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers.
It also was the most-watched prime-time event since last February’s Super Bowl on Fox.
Denver's 33-30 overtime victory over Buffalo on CBS set the mark for the most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game, averaging 39.6 million. It peaked at 51.28 million during overtime.
The previous Saturday record was 37.54 million for a Green Bay-San Francisco divisional round game in prime time on Fox two years ago.
The previous high for the Saturday early window was 35.60 million for New Orleans-San Francisco on Jan. 14, 2012.
The Broncos' win over the Bills was also the most-watched Saturday telecast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics on CBS averaged 40.82 million in prime time on Feb. 19.
Sunday afternoon's AFC game between Houston and New England averaged 37.97 million on ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes, the most-watched event in ESPN's nearly 37-year history. It also stands as the most-watched telecast on a Disney-owned network since 2014.
The Patriots' 28-16 win peaked at 44.9 million viewers late in the second half.
Seattle's 41-6 rout of San Francisco averaged 32.1 million on Fox. It was a slight drop from the 33.6 million that tuned in for last year's Washington-Detroit game in the same Saturday night time slot.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The sun reflects on a window as played line up during the second half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou on Friday was ordered to pay McLaren Racing more than $12 million in the breach of contract suit the team filed when the Spaniard backed out of two different deals with the racing team.
The Friday ruling from London's High Court came after a five-week trial last year. McLaren initially sought almost $30 million in damages, but that number was reduced to $20.7 million as the racing juggernaut sought to reclaim money allegedly lost in sponsorship, driver salaries and performance earnings.
“I never wanted to end up in court. It’s not really how we do things at McLaren Racing and we tried hard to find a solution at the time,” McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown told The Associated Press at Daytona International Speedway.
"In the end Alex — supported by a large legal team — sadly left us no option, and they now have a very significant legal bill to show for it. I happen to believe that treating others with respect and staying true to your word matters a great deal both in life and in our sport, but as we have seen as this case evolved, that view wasn’t shared by all involved.”
McLaren added it is still seeking interest and reimbursement of its legal expenses — a judgement in favor of the team could push Palou's total owed to more than $20 million. It is not clear if Chip Ganassi, the team owner Palou drives for in IndyCar, is covering any of the losses.
Palou was not ordered to pay anything related to Formula 1 losses McLaren said it suffered when Palou decided to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing rather than move to McLaren's IndyCar team in 2024. All the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to losses the IndyCar team suffered by Palou's change of mind.
“The court has dismissed in their entirety McLaren’s Formula 1 claims against me which once stood at almost $15 million," Palou said in a statement. "The court’s decision shows the claims against me were completely overblown. It’s disappointing that so much time and cost was spent fighting these claims, some of which the Court found had no value, simply because I chose not to drive for McLaren after I learned they wouldn’t be able to give me an F1 drive.
“I’m disappointed that any damages have been awarded to McLaren. They have not suffered any loss because of what they have gained from the driver who replaced me. I am considering my options with my advisors and have no further comments to make at this stage.”
Palou has won three consecutive IndyCar titles and the Indianapolis 500 since this saga began midway through the 2022 season. He has four IndyCar titles in the last five seasons. Palou and Brown are both at Daytona International Speedway for this weekend's Rolex 24 sports car endurance race: the Meyer Shank Racing team Palou is driving for will start from the pole Saturday, while Brown is competing in a support race earlier in the day.
The bulk of the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to loss of sponsorship. Palou was ordered to pay $5.3 million to cover the losses in the team's agreement with NTT Data, $2.5 million in “other IndyCar sponsorship revenue” and $2 million in performance-based revenue.
IndyCar team owner Ganassi said Palou has his backing.
“Alex has our full support, now and always. We know the character of our driver and the strength of our team, and nothing changes that," Ganassi said. "While we respect the legal process, our focus is exactly where it should be: on racing, on winning, and on doing what this organization has always done best, competing at the highest level.
"We’re locked in on chasing another championship and defending our 2025 Indianapolis 500 victory. That’s where our energy is, and that’s where Alex’s focus is, on the track, doing what he does best: winning.”
McLaren has won the last two constructor championships in F1 and Lando Norris last season won the driver championship.
Palou first signed with McLaren in 2022 to drive for its IndyCar team in 2023, but Ganassi pushed back and exercised an option on Palou for the 2023 season. The matter was decided through mediation, with McLaren covering Palou’s legal costs. Palou could not join McLaren until 2024 but was permitted to be the reserve and test driver for the F1 team in 2023.
When McLaren signed Oscar Piastri for its F1 team, and Palou’s performance with Ganassi in IndyCar was so dominant, the driver decided he did not want to move to McLaren’s IndyCar team and reneged on his contract.
Palou argued his contracts with McLaren were “based on lies,” and he’d never have a chance to race in F1. His counsel also accused Brown of destroying evidence by deleting WhatsApp messages related to the case.
McLaren contended it lost revenue when Palou backed out ahead of the 2024 season and the team had to scramble to find another driver. McLaren wanted Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, who had already committed to Andretti Global, so it instead used four different drivers that season.
Because none were as accomplished as Palou, McLaren argued both NTT Data and General Motors reduced their payouts to the team because McLaren did not field a driver of the caliber it had promised.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - McLaren chief Zak Brown listens to radio during a first practice for the he Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, file)
FILE - Alex Palou celebrates after winning the IndyCar championship Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)
