Sunday Night Football won the night for NBC once again, drawing 20.9 million for the New England Patriots shellacking of the New York Jets. The game had a 12.9 rating and a 20 share, up very slightly from last year’s Week 10 pitting the Pats against the Pittsburgh Steelers which had a 12.8/20.
Last year’s game drew more viewers than Pats-Jets. Part of that had to do with the Pats deciding the game in the 3rd quarter and causing a dropoff in the numbers late.
Through 10 weeks, NBC is averaging 21.3 million viewers which is flat with last year’s numbers.
We have the press from NBC Sports below. Read at your leisure.
20.9 MILLION WATCH PATRIOTS-JETS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC
Household Rating of 12.9 Up One Percent From Week 10 Game in 2010
NEW YORK – November 15, 2011 – The New England Patriots 37-16 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football was seen by 20.9 million people, just off from last year’s Week 10 game (Patriots-Steelers, 21.2 million), and registered a household rating of 12.9/20, up one percent from last year’s Week 10 game (12.8/20), according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.
Sunday Night Football ranked as the No. 1 primetime program of the week among households, viewers and the key adult and male demographics.
Through the first 10 weeks of the NFL season (10 Sunday’s and one Thursday), Sunday Night Football is averaging 21.3 million viewers, which ties 2010 for the most through this point in the season in the six-year history of SNF.
The nine-week average household rating of 12.9/20 is the best through the same point in the season in the six-year history of Sunday Night Football, and one percent higher than last year’s 12.8/21.
The critically acclaimed Football Night in America is averaging 8.9 million viewers and a household rating of 5.4/9 (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET) through the first 10 weeks, both up 10 percent from last year’s first 10 weeks.
37 FOR 38: Sunday Night Football was the most-watched primetime show on Sunday night. This marks the 37th time in 38 primetime NFL games – dating back to Week 7 in 2009 – that NBC has defeated its competition (34 Sundays, two Thursdays and one Tuesday).
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PATRIOTS-JETS:
1. Boston, 36.9/54
2. Providence, 31.4/45
3. Las Vegas, 19.3/29
4. San Diego, 19.0/30
5. Sacramento, 17.8/28
6. Milwaukee, 17.7/26
7. New York, 17.3/27
8. Albuquerque, 17.0/24
9. Indianapolis, 16.6/26
10. Norfolk, 16.4/24
I’ll try to sneak in some linkage next.