NBC continues to rack up the ratings for the NFL preseason. The final ratings are in from Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings-San Francisco 49ers game and they’re very good. Ratings were the highest in 8 years for a game in Week 2 of the preseason. And the game also swept the key demographics for the network. We have the press release.
“SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” VIKINGS-49ERS IS MOST WATCHED NFL PRESEASON WEEK 2 GAME IN 8 YEARSSNF Preseason Game is No. 1 Program of the Week in Viewers, Household Rating & All Key Adult and Male DemosNEW YORK – August 23, 2010 – The “Sunday Night Football” preseason game between the Vikings and 49ers was the most-watched Week 2 NFL preseason game in eight years and was the No. 1 program of the week in all the key adult and male demographics, including the coveted Adults 18-49, according to national data released today by The Nielsen Company.The game, in which the 49ers defeated the Vikings 15-10, in the return of Vikings QB Brett Favre (who was in the game for a total of four plays), drew 10.8 million viewers, the most for a Week 2 NFL preseason game since a 49ers-Broncos matchup on Aug. 19, 2002 (11.3 million viewers).The household rating of a 6.7/12 is the best for a Week 2 NFL preseason game since the Aug. 18, 2003 Buccaneers-Rams game (7.4/13) and the third-best rating for an NFL preseason game on any network since Aug. 30, 2004 (Titans-Cowboys, 7.6/13), trailing only behind NBC’s Hall of Fame Games on Aug. 8, 2010 and Aug. 6, 2006 (both had a 6.8/12 household rating).SNF DOMINATED THE NIGHT: Sunday’s game was the No. 1 broadcast of the night in total viewers, adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, Men 18-49, Men 18-34 and Men 25-54.This continues a trend for SNF dominating Sunday nights. The last “Sunday Night Football” broadcast, The Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, Aug. 9, was the No. 1 broadcast of the night. In the regular season last year, “Sunday Night Football” 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).BESTS COMPETITION IN PRIMETIME: “Sunday Night Football” powered NBC to win Sunday night in Adults 18-49, topping its closest primetime competitor among the major networks, Fox, by 67 percent (3.0 for NBC from 7-11 p.m. vs. a 1.8 for Fox from 7-10 p.m.). In total viewers, NBC topped its nearest primetime rival, CBS, by 36 percent or more than 2.4 million persons (9.1 million vs. 6.6 million). NBC scored the highest Sunday averages for any network in Adults 18-49 and total viewers since August 8, the night of NBC’s coverage of the Cowboys-Bengals NFL Hall of Fame Game and second highest Sunday for any network since June 13, the night of ABC’s coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. In household rating, it’s the highest Sunday average for any network since June 13.
Quite impressive.
