This is what networks hope for when they sign the NFL, big viewership numbers. And for the season premiere of Thursday Night Football simulcast on CBS and NFL Network, the numbers are good.
An average 20.8 million viewers watched Pittsburgh at Baltimore. And if you want the breakdown, you shall receive it. An estimated 17.4 million people watched the on CBS with another 3.4 watching on NFL Network.
Sean McManus, the Chairman of CBS Sports, said this exceeded expectations. The combined rating on CBS/NFL Network was 12.7 with CBS receiving a 10.5 and NFL Network, 2.2.
Overall, the pregame and game averaged 19.4 million viewers and that is the highest Thursday night viewership for CBS dating back to 2007.
Here’s the CBS/NFL Network press release.
“THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” ON CBS AND NFL NETWORK SCORES WITH AN AVERAGE OF 20.8 MILLION VIEWERS, +89% FROM A YEAR AGO
Pittsburgh-Baltimore Game Posts Best Thursday Prime Time Viewers & Ratings on CBS Since 2007
CBS and NFL Network’s debut broadcast of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on Thursday, Sept. 11 featuring Pittsburgh-Baltimore was seen by an average of 20.8 million viewers (Live + Same Day), +89% from last year’s comparable viewing average of 11.0 million on NFL Network (N.Y. Jets-New England; 9/12/13).
“The debut of Thursday Night Football on network television exceeded our ratings expectations,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “From a ratings, sales and production standpoint we could not be more pleased with the success of Thursday night’s broadcast and our partnership with NFL Network on Thursday Night Football.”
“Since Thursday Night Football first began on NFL Network in 2006, we’ve been strategically building this franchise” said Brian Rolapp, Executive Vice President of Media for the NFL. “As these numbers indicate, the partnership between CBS and NFL Network is helping to expose Thursday Night Football to a wider audience and further cement Thursdays as the night to kickoff the NFL week.”
Thursday night’s programming on CBS and NFL Network from 8:00-11:00 PM averaged 19.4 million viewers, which was +234% higher in viewer average from last year’s 5.8 million. CBS’s primetime programming on September 12, 2013 was BIG BANG THEORY repeat (8:00 PM); CBS FALL PREVIEW SHOW (8:31 PM); BIG BROTHER (9:01 PM); and ELEMENTARY repeat (10:00 PM). The 19.4 million was the most-viewed Thursday night of primetime programming on CBS since November 8, 2007 (19.5 million).
Last night’s game earned an average national household rating of 12.7 (Live + Same Day), +84% higher from last year’s comparable rating of 6.9 on NFL Network and over-the-air-stations within the two team markets. The 12.7 also is +81% higher than the all-time best game on NFL Network and over-the-air-stations within the two team markets, 7.0 HH rating (Kansas City-Philadelphia; 9/19/13).
From 8:00-11:00 PM, the CBS/NFL Network broadcast averaged a national HH rating/share of 11.9/21, which is +213% higher than last year’s 3.8/6 and delivered the highest HH rating since November 8, 2007 (12.1/19).
The viewer average peaked at 22.2 million viewers from 9:00-9:30 PM.
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL will continue next week on September 18 with Tampa Bay at Atlanta.
And on the NFL Today on Sunday, Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley makes an appearance on the CBS set as well CBS Sports Network host Jim Rome.
“SIR CHARLES” AND JIM ROME TO VISIT “THE NFL TODAY” IN WEEK 2
Week 2 on THE NFL TODAY on Sunday, Sept. 14 (12:00 Noon-1:00 PM, ET) features special in-studio guests as Basketball Hall of Famer and Turner Sports’ Charles Barkley and popular host of CBS Sports Network’s show ROME Jim Rome joins host James Brown, and analysts Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott on the desk to talk football live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
We have the Fox preview next.
