Television ratings for the two NFL Conference Championship games on January 24 were great. And Super Bowl 50 viewership is expected to be the most viewed U.S. Television Show of all time.

A member of the NFL office tweeted:

According to Nielsen estimates, the 1:05-4:45 PM MST game between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos on CBS averaged a staggering 31.8 household rating/53 share in the overnights with 53.3 million watching. The peak occurred from 4-4:30 PM MST with a 36.6 rating/57 share. Overall this was a 9 percent increase over the early slot 2015 NFL Championship round game between the Green Bay Packer and Seattle Seahawks on Fox (29.1/52).

The game saw the 17th and perhaps last match up between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. The Broncos won a close contest 20-18, which wasn’t decided until the last seconds in regulation time. The rating was the highest for an AFC Championship game since 1987 when the Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns in overtime with a 31.9 rating on NBC.

The NFC Championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers had a lower average of 26.8 household rating/40 share in the overnights with 45.7 million viewers. But this was a 19 percent increase from the prior year game in the late slot between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots on CBS (24.2/39).

Last year’s Super Bowl XLIX drew 114.4 million on NBC (47.5/71). This was the most watched U.S. television show ever.

With 39 year-old Manning pitted against his 26 year-old counterpart, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Super Bowl 50’s viewership on CBS is expected to top last year’s event according to Sports Illustrated.

Broncos fans scream at the TV screens as a call is made against the Broncos in the third quarter of the Super Bowl while watching the game at Jackson’s bar in Denver, Colorado on February 2, 2014. The Broncos took on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. The Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8. (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)

Appearing in their record tying eighth Super Bowl, the Broncos will play the Panthers on February 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be televised on CBS starting at 4:30 PM MST.

For complete Super Bowl 50 details click here.