Packers-Pats on Sunday Night Football Brings In 24.2 Million Viewers

Once again, NBC garners over 20 million viewers for Sunday Night Football and wins the primetime ratings. A surprisingly compelling game that went down to the wire held its audience and then some. The rating was 14.0 with a 23 share which is 27% over last year’s Week 15 game. To say Sunday Night Football is a big hit is like saying Cats ran on Broadway for a long time. The NFL and NBC have to feel that to make Sunday Night Football the premiere primetime package was a true success.

Here’s the official press release from NBC Sports.

24.2 MILLION WATCH PACKERS-PATRIOTS ON “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”

Up 33% From Last Year’s Week 15 Game

10^th SNF Game This Season to Surpass 20 Million Viewers

SNF Most-Watched Sunday Night Show Every Week So Far This Season (15 For 15)

SNF is Most-Watched Show of the Primetime Television Season

NEW YORK – December 21, 2010 – The Packers-Patriots game was the most-watched show on Sunday night for the 15^th consecutive week and the No. 1 primetime show of the week among viewers, households and in the key advertising demographics; is the most-watched show of the primetime season and the No. 1 primetime show in all adult and male demographics, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

• “Sunday Night Football,” featuring the Patriots 31-27 victory over the Packers, was seen by 24.2 million viewers (8:31-11:29 p.m.), a gain of 33 percent over last year’s Week 15 game (Vikings-Panthers, 18.2 million) and is the fourth most-watched SNF game this season and the fifth most-watched ever on “Sunday Night Football.”

• This marks the 10^th NBC primetime NFL game this season to surpass 20 million viewers, the most through 15 weeks in NBC’s five-year “Sunday Night Football” history. There are two games remaining.

NBC PRIMETIME GAMES WITH 20 MILLION OR MORE VIEWERS (Through 15 weeks)

2010 – 10

 2009 – 7

2008 – 2

2007 – 1

2006 – 2

MOST WATCHED “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” GAMES:

1. 12/12/10, Eagles-Cowboys, 25.73 million (SNF Week 14)

2. 10/24/10, Vikings-Packers, 25.68 million (Favre Return to Lambeau II)

3. 9/12/10, Cowboys-Redskins, 25.3 million (SNF: Week 1)

4. 9/20/09, Giants-Cowboys, 24.8 million (Dallas Cowboys stadium debut)

5. 12/19/10, Packers-Patriots, 24.2 million (Sunday’s Game)

6. 11/21/10, Giants-Eagles, 23.2 million (SNF: Week 11)

T7. 09/19/10, Giants-Colts, 23.1 million (“Manning Bowl II”)

T7. 12/14/08, Giants-Cowboys, 23.1 million

9. 9/10/06, Colts-Giants, 22.6 million (Original “Manning Bowl”)

10. 12/5/10, Steelers-Ravens, 22.5 million (SNF: Week 13)

*The NFL Kickoff Opener on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010 between the Vikings and Saints generated an average viewership of 27.5 million people.

The 14.0/23 national rating for Sunday night’s game is 27 percent ahead of last year’s Week 15 SNF game (Vikings-Panthers, 11.0/18).

DEFEATED ALL SUNDAY NIGHT COMPETITION: The “Sunday Night Football” broadcast defeated all Sunday Night competition for the 15^th time in 15 weeks, on a night that included such competition as CBS’s 60 Minutes, and the finale of Survivor, and “The Santa Clause 2” and “The Santa Clause 3” on ABC.

SNF IS 15 FOR 15: With 24.2 million viewers, “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched primetime show on Sunday night for the 15^th straight week this season (100 percent).  Last season, SNF was the most-watched Sunday night primetime broadcast in a record 15 of 16 (94 percent) weeks. In 2008, SNF won 13 of 16 (81 percent) Sunday nights after winning 11 of 16 in 2007 (69 percent) and nine of 16 in 2006 (56 percent).

NO. 1 SHOW OF THE WEEK: Sunday night’s game was the most-watched and highest-rated primetime program of the week and, for the 15^th straight week, “Sunday Night Football” was the No. 1 regularly-scheduled primetime broadcast of the week by a wide margin among Adults 18-49, the coveted advertiser demographic.  SNF was also the No. 1 show this week among Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, Men and Women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.   

• For the week, “Sunday Night Football” had a 105-percent margin of victory over the No. 2 show in Adults 18-49 (8.6 for SNF vs. 4.2 for Two and a Half Men on CBS).

• Since the beginning of the primetime television season, “Sunday Night Football” stands as the most-watched primetime show on television and the No. 1 regularly scheduled primetime show in all key adult and male demos.

Through the first 15 weeks of the NFL season, “Sunday Night Football” is averaging 21.9 million viewers, 2.3 million more than last year through this point of the season (19.6 million). 

SNF AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP THROUGH 15 WEEKS:

1. 2010, 21.9 million 

2. 2009, 19.6 million

3. 2006, 17.4 million

4. 2008, 16.6 million

5. 2007, 16.1 million

The 15-week average household rating of 13.1/21 is 10-percent higher than last year’s 11.9/19 and 28 percent ahead of 2008 (10.2/16) through the same point in the season.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR PACKERS-PATRIOTS:

1. Milwaukee, 44.5/60

2. Boston, 42.6/62

3. Providence, 32.2/46

4. Minneapolis, 21.8/33

5. Baltimore, 19.6/29

6. Chicago, 19.0/30

7. New Orleans, 18.4/26

8. Norfolk, 18.2/27

9. Ft. Myers, 18.3/28

10. Richmond, 18.0/27

That is it.