This from NBC, the overnight ratings are in for Sunday Night Football and with no competition from baseball or other sports, the Peacock generated big numbers for Denver-Indianapolis. As you’re well aware, it marked the return of Peyton Manning to Indy after leaving the Colts before last season.
NBC had an overnight number of 17.3 and a 29 share, its highest rating of the season-to-date. NBC says it’s the highest October primetime NFL game in 15 years. It’s also the highest Sunday primetime rating this year since the Oscars in February.
For the NBC SNF package, it’s the fourth highest overnight since the network started airing Sunday Night Football.
We have the giddy NBC press release.
BRONCOS-COLTS ON NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL POSTS TOP PRIMETIME OVERNIGHT FOR OCTOBER GAME IN 15 YEARS
Fourth-Highest NFL Overnight in NBC Primetime History; Highest This SeasonNBC Records Highest Sunday Primetime Rating for a Network since Oscars in February
SNF wins Adults 18-49 Demo by 64%STAMFORD, Conn. – October 21, 2013 – Last night’s Denver-Indianapolis NBC Sunday Night Football game featuring Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis, posted a 17.3 overnight rating and 29 share (8:30 p.m.-12:15 a.m. ET) – marking the best primetime overnight for an October game in 15 years and a 48% increase over last season’s Week 7 SNF game (11.7 for Pittsburgh-Cincinnati).
The previous best October primetime NFL overnight was a 17.5 for Minnesota-Green Bay on ABC on Oct. 5, 1998, as Randall Cunningham passed for 442 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-24 Vikings victory over Brett Favre and the Packers.
The 17.3 for the Colts’ down-to-the-wire 39-33 Sunday Night Football victory is the fourth-highest overnight in the eight-year history of NBC’s primetime package (including “NFL Kickoff” games). Following are NBC’s highest overnight ratings for a regular-season game since the debut of Sunday Night Football in 2006:
Game, Date Overnight Highlights Dallas-Wash., 12/30/12 18.3 Rookie Robert Griffin III leads Redskins to NFC East title with 28-18 victory in “win-and-in” Week 17 matchup. Game posted highest regular-season primetime overnight on any network in 15 years. Pittsburgh-Denver, 9/9/12 18.0 Peyton Manning debuts with a new team (Denver) after missing ’11 season with neck injury, and throws his 400th career TD pass in Broncos’ come-from-behind 31-19 victory. Minn.-New Orleans, 9/9/10 17.7 Drew Brees leads defending-champion Saints over Brett Favre and Vikings 14-9 in NFC Championship Game rematch in Thursday “NFL Kickoff” opener. Denver-Indy, 10/20/13 17.3 QB Andrew Luck accounts for 4 TDs to lead Colts to a 39-33 win over Broncos in Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis. N.O.-Green Bay, 9/8/11 17.2 Aaron Rodgers passes for 312 yards and three scores to lead defending-champion Packers to 42-34 win over Drew Brees (419 yards and 3 TDs) and Saints in Thursday “NFL Kickoff” opener. NBC’s Sunday primetime average (13.5/22 from 7-11 p.m. ET in metered-market households) is the highest for any broadcast network on a Sunday night since the Academy Awards on Feb. 24 (22.2/34 on ABC) and topped second-place CBS by 50% (9.0/14).
In the Adults 18-49 demographic, Sunday Night Football easily won the night posting a 10.0 rating – 64% better than the second-ranked show in the demo (6.1 for AMC’s “The Walking Dead”).
Last night’s broadcast peaked at a 19.0/29 from 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
Top 10 Metered Markets:
1. Denver, 49.6/71 –NBC SNF local-market record
2. Indianapolis, 49.1/71 – NBC SNF local-market record
3. Kansas City, 26.7/42
4. New Orleans, 26.1/36
5. Albuquerque, 25.1/37
6. Las Vegas, 23.7/37
7. Sacramento, 22.2/35
T8. San Diego, 22.0/37
T8. Richmond, 22.0/33
10. Nashville, 21.8/31
There you have it.
