NBC is proud as a peacock today after the overnight ratings came in for the Sunday Night Football season finale between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys that decided the NFC East Division title.
As Philadelphia won and the game wasn’t decided until the final moments, NBC saw an average overnight rating of 16.8 with a 28 share. NBC says it’s the third highest SNF overnight this season and the seventh highest overall since the Peacock took over the series in 2006.
The game peaked at an 18.0/32 during the final half-hour. However, the 16.8/28 is down significantly from last year’s Dallas-Washington game which received an amazing 18.3/30.
Locally, Philadelphia topped all markets by setting a local Sunday Night Football record with a whopping 40.1/58. Dallas was second with 37.0/60. New Orleans, Richmond, VA and Austin, TX round out the top five.
This marks the third consecutive year the SNF Week 17 finale has posted a 16.8 overnight or better.
Here’s NBC’s announcement.
EAGLES-COWBOYS “WIN-AND-IN” NAIL-BITER ON NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL EASILY WINS NIGHT IN PRIMETIME WITH 16.8/28 OVERNIGHT
Third Consecutive 16.8-or-Higher for Week 17 SNF Ranks As 7th-Highest Sunday NFL Overnight in NBC Primetime History & 3rd Best This Season behind Peyton’s Return to Indy & “Manning-Brady XIV”
Strong Season: SNF in ’13 Posts 5 of 9 Highest Sunday Primetime Overnights since NBC Acquired Package in ‘06
Overnight Peaks at 18.0/32 for Exciting Conclusion from 11-11:30 p.m. ETSTAMFORD, Conn. – December 30, 2013 – The Philadelphia Eagles’ down-to-the-wire 24-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in a “win-and-in” game for the NFC East title last night on NBC’s Sunday Night Football posted a 16.8 overnight rating and 28 share (8:30-11:30 p.m. ET) – marking the third consecutive 16.8-or-better for the Week 17 SNF game. The telecast peaked at an 18.0/32 for the exciting conclusion from 11-11:30 p.m. ET.
The 16.8 overnight for the Eagles’ two-point Sunday Night Football victory, highlighted by Nick Foles’ 263 passing yards and two touchdowns and LeSean McCoy’s 131 rushing yards and one scoring catch, is the seventh-highest Sunday overnight in the eight-year history of NBC’s primetime package (excluding NFL Kickoff games) and ranks third this season behind Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis on October 20 (17.3) and “Manning-Brady XIV” on Nov. 24 (17.0).
SNF’s 16.8 overnight more than doubled the top regularly-scheduled primetime program (7.4 for 60 Minutes). In the Adults 18-49 demographic, Sunday Night Football easily won the night posting a 10.2 rating (in the 25 markets used to calculate the overnight demo) – 343% better than the top entertainment show in the demo (The Simpsons).
This season, NBC has posted five of the network’s nine highest Sunday overnights (not including NFL Kickoff games) since acquiring the Sunday Night Football package in 2006.
Following are NBC’s 10 highest overnight ratings for Sunday regular-season games since the debut of Sunday Night Football in 2006 (does not include NFL Kickoff games):
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 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. 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. Dallas-NY Giants, 1/1/12 17.1 Eli Manning passes for 346 yards and 3 TDs to lead Giants to NFC East title with 31-14 victory in “win-and-in” Week 17 matchup. Denver-N.E., 11/24/13 17 In “Manning-Brady XIV,” Tom Brady passes for 344 yards & 3 TDs to lead Patriots to victory after trailing 24-0 against Peyton Manning and Broncos. Dallas-NY Jets, 9/11/11 16.9 Jets come back from 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win season-opener 27-24 on Nick Folk’s field goal with 27 seconds remaining. Phil.-Dallas, 12/29/13 16.8 Nick Foles passes for 263 yards & 2 TDs, NFL rushing champ LeSean McCoy runs for 131 yards and catches a TD pass and Eagles intercept Kyle Orton inside two-minute warning as Philadelphia clinches NFC East crown with 24-22 victory in “win-and-in” Week 17 matchup. KC-Denver, 11/17/13 16.6 Peyton Manning passes for 323 yards and 1 TD to lead Broncos to win over NFL’s lone unbeaten team. NY Giants-Dallas, 9/8/13 16.6 Cowboys win season-opener between division rivals as Tony Romo and Eli Manning combine to pass for 713 yards and 6 TDs. NY Giants-Dallas, 9/20/09 16.5 Eli Manning passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns and Lawrence Tynes kicks game-winning field goal as time expires in 33-31 Giants victory in front of largest regular-season crowd in NFL history (105,121) to open AT&T Stadium. Top 10 Metered Markets:
1. Philadelphia, 40.1/58 – NBC SNF local-market record
2. Dallas, 37.0/60
3. New Orleans, 28.6/39
4. Richmond, 28.0/41
5. Austin 27.8/45
6. San Antonio, 25.6/38
7. Albuquerque, 22.9/34
8. Norfolk, 22.1/32
9. Memphis, 21.6/30
10. Washington, D.C., 20.9/36
10. Las Vegas, 20.9/32
That is all.
