The game was mostly close and had a couple of lead changes that resulted in a Baltimore Ravens win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. It led to the Ravens sweeping the season series over Pittsburgh and also to a big audience for NBC. The rating was a 13.3 with a 21 share. Overall, about 22.1 million people watched the game.
NBC says the rating/share was 15% higher than last year’s Week 9 game featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. The network adds this year’s viewership was 14% higher than last year.
For the season, NBC is averaging 21.4 million viewers for the season which is the most at this point for any season of the Sunday Night series on the network. And the games are averaging a 12.8/20 tying last year’s record through 9 weeks.
In addition, Pittsburgh and Baltimore led the way in the local ratings. Here’s the press release from NBC.
22.1 MILLION WATCH RAVENS-STEELERS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC
22.1 Million is 4th Highest SNF Viewership This Season; Up 14 Percent From Week 9 Game in 2010
NEW YORK – November 8, 2011 – The Baltimore Ravens 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football was seen by 21.4 million people, 14 percent higher than last year’s Week 9 game (Cowboys-Packers, 19.4 million), and registered a household rating of 13.3/21 is up 15 percent from last year’s Week 9 game (11.6/19).
Sunday Night Football ranked as the No. 1 primetime program of the week among households, viewers and the key adult and male demographics.
Through the first nine weeks of the NFL season (nine Sunday’s and one Thursday), Sunday Night Football is averaging 21.4 million viewers, the most through this point in the season in the six-year history of SNF.
The nine-week average household rating of 12.8/20 ties last year as the best through the same point in the season in the six-year history of Sunday Night Football.
The critically acclaimed Football Night in America is averaging 9.0 million viewers and a household rating of 5.5/9 (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET) through the first nine weeks, both up 10 percent from last year’s first nine weeks.
36 FOR 37: Sunday Night Football was the most-watched primetime show on Sunday night. This marks the 36th time in 37 primetime NFL games – dating back to Week 7 in 2009 – that NBC has defeated its competition (33 Sundays, two Thursdays and one Tuesday).
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR RAVENS-STEELERS:
1. Pittsburgh, 53.0/71
2. Baltimore, 45.0/63
3. Las Vegas, 19.2/29
4. Cincinnati, 19.1/30
T5. Washington, D.C., 17.7/30
T5. Richmond, 17.7/26
7. New Orleans, 17.6/23
8. San Diego, 17.1/27
9. Memphis, 17.0/24
10. Cleveland, 16.7/27
That will do it.
