With CBS ending its half of the Thursday Night Football schedule and handing it off to NFL Network, the combined numbers on both networks resulted in very good numbers. Denver continues to draw huge TV audiences and Thursday night was not an exception.
CBS/NFL Network received a combined 12.3/21 for the game and 20.2 million viewers. Both numbers are the second-highest of the season after TNF’s opening game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. For the season, Thursday Night Football is averaging a 10.3/18 and 16.5 million viewers.
By comparison, Sunday Night Football on NBC through eight games averages 22.1 million viewers and Monday Night Football on ESPN through eight games has seen 13.4 million viewers. So TNF has placed where many observers thought, in between SNF and MNF.
Here’s the official CBS/NFL Network announcement.
“THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” ON CBS AND NFL NETWORK MORE THAN QUADRUPLES VIEWERS WITH INCREASE OF +312%
“Thursday Night Football” Rating and Viewers Up +94% Through Seven Weeks
San Diego vs. Denver Earns Second-Highest HH Rating and Viewer Delivery for
“Thursday Night Football” This Season with 12.3/21 and 20.2 Million ViewersCBS and NFL Network’s broadcast of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on Thursday, Oct. 23, which featured Denver’s 35-21 victory over San Diego, delivered increases in ratings and viewers from last year. The game earned an average fast-national (Live + Same Day) household rating/share of 12.3/21, +297% from last year’s 3.1/5, and delivered 20.2 million viewers, +312% from last year’s 4.9 million viewers on NFL Network and over-the-air stations within the two team markets (Oct. 24, 2013: Carolina-Tampa Bay). Last night’s game was the second-highest-rated THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game behind only the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game (12.7/22; 20.8 million viewers on Sept. 11, 2014).
Through seven games of the CBS/NFL Network schedule, THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL is averaging a HH rating/share of 10.3/18, +94% compared to last year’s 5.3/9; and 16.5 million viewers, +94% compared to last year’s 8.5 million – on pace to be the highest-rated and most-watched THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL season ever. Next week, THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL moves exclusively to NFL Network as the New Orleans Saints visit the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 30 at 8:00 PM, ET.
Compared to last year’s CBS primetime programming, THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL was +81% in viewers (18.8 million from 10.4 million); and +77% in HH rating/share (11.5/19 from 6.5/10), including +126% in adults 18-49 (6.1 from 2.7) and +92% in adults 25-54 (7.1 from 3.7).
CBS/NFL Network’s HH rating/share of 11.5/19 in primetime beat each of the broadcast networks: +360% better than FOX (2.5/4), +311% better than NBC (2.8/5) and +77% better than ABC (6.5/11).
CBS/NFL Network’s viewership of 18.8 million in primetime was +382% better than FOX (3.9m), +348% better than NBC (4.2m) and +98% better than ABC (9.5m).
The household rating/share and viewer average peaked at 13.0/21 and 21.6 million viewers, respectively, from 9:00-9:30 PM, ET.
RATINGS NOTE: CBS and NFL Network are reporting audience data for the game and related programming, the way it was sold to advertisers, as a gross rating from CBS and NFL Network.
There you have it.
