Thursday Night Football Premiere Really Scores for CBS/NFL Network

Whether it was Ray Rice or people are just starved for football, another network TV primetime NFL package scored in the ratings. The Pittsburgh-Baltimore game to kick off the new combined CBS/NFL Network Thursday Night Football series gave the networks a 13.7 overnight rating with a 23 share. That’s up a whopping 108% from last year’s opener on NFL Network that garnered a 6.6/12 number.

For both the pregame show and game, CBS and NFL Network saw a 12.9/22 which improves on CBS’ primetime programming by 215% from last year. You can see why CBS was so willing to pay to get Thursday Night Football.

Here’s the CBS/NFL Network announcement.

“THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” ON CBS AND NFL NETWORK MORE THAN DOUBLES OPENING NIGHT RATINGS FROM A YEAR AGO

Pittsburgh-Baltimore Rating +108% from Last Year

CBS and NFL Network’s debut broadcast of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL earned an overnight household rating/share of 13.7/23, +108% from last year’s comparable game on NFL Network (from 6.6/12; N.Y. Jets-New England; 9/12/13), in the 56 metered markets.

Last night’s programming on CBS and NFL Network from 8:00-11:00 PM averaged a prime time household rating/share of 12.9/22, which was +215% higher than the comparable CBS primetime programming a year ago (from 4.1/7).  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 debut of THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL was CBS’s best primetime Thursday delivery since May 18, 2006 (13.7/21; CSI SPECIAL – 8:00 PM, CSI – 9:00 PM, WITHOUT A TRACE – 10:00 PM).

Last night’s HH rating/share of 13.7/23 for the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game also was +99% higher than the all-time best rating/share on NFL Network (6.9/12; Kansas City-Philadelphia; 9/19/13).

Last night’s game HH rating/share peaked at 14.6/24 from 9:00-9:30 PM, ET.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL will continue next week on September 18 with Tampa Bay at Atlanta.

To say CBS executives are high-fiving and fist bumping would be an understatement.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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