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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **An average of 53.7 million people tuned in for the Conference Championship games this weekend, tying for the most watched championship weekend since 1982.

In 2012, the Championship games after the 2011 regular season also averaged 53.7 million viewers. The two conference title games that year were between the Ravens and the Patriots in the AFC and the Giants and the 49ers in the NFC.

In January of  1981 the NFC Championship game between the Cowboys and the 49ers drew an audience of 68.7 million and the AFC Championship game between the Chargers and the Bengals drew 51.6 million for an average of 60.2 million.

That Cowboys-49ers game remains the most watched conference championship game in NFL history. This past weekend's NFC title game between the Seahawks and the 49ers ranked as the fifth most watch conference championship game as 55.9 million people tuned in.

For the Broncos-Patriots game there were 51.3 million viewers making it the third-most watched AFC Championship game.

Also, the two conference championship games from this past weekend represent the two most-watched programs on television since Super Bowl XLVII.