NBC can hang its hat on Sunday Night Football being the most watched primetime series of the season once again. This season, it averaged over 20 million viewers once again, 21.5 million to be exact. It was down from the previous season of 21.8 million which broke a record. Overall, 13 out of the 18 regular season games saw an audience of over 20 million viewers which is quite impressive in this day and age.
The average rating for the season was 12.9 with a 20 share. That’s 1% lower than last year’s record of 13.0/21.
SNF also did well in key demographics in the 18-34 and 18-49 range. Football Night in America saw its best-ever season with an average of just below 9 million viewers for the season. The press release.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS NO. 1 SHOW ON PRIMETIME TELEVISION
No. 3 Show Among Women 18-34 and 18-49
13 Games with More Than 20 Million Viewers (Most Ever)
Football Night in America Sets RecordsSunday Night Football finished the season as the No. 1 show in primetime (Viewers 2+, Household rating, all key adult and male demos, based on Nielsen live + same day data). This marks the second straight year, and the only two years on record (since the advent of people meters in 1987), that a sports series has been the most-watched show of the primetime TV season at the end of the NFL regular season.
SNF NO. 1 PRIMETIME PROGRAM FOR SEASON: For the primetime television season, Sunday Night Football ranked as the most-watched show (persons 2+) and the No. 1 program across the key demographics of Adults 18-49, 18-34, 25-54 as well as Men 18-49, 18-34 and 25-54.
- Additionally, SNF is the No. 3 show among Women 18-34 behind only Modern Family and New Girl, and, remarkably, No. 3 among Women 18-49 behind only Two and a Half Men and Modern Family.
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SETS RECORD IN COVETED ADULT DEMO: Sunday Night Football averaged an 8.4 rating for its season in the coveted Adult 18-49 advertiser demographic, the best in the six-year history of SNF and tying the 1999 season of Monday Night Football on ABC as the best NFL primetime Adult 18-49 average since 1997 (9.1 on ABC).
Adult 18-49 SNF Season Averages vs. Prior Years:
2011 – 8.4
2010 – 8.3 (up one percent)
2009 – 7.5 (up 12 percent)
2008 – 6.4 (up 31 percent)
2007 – 6.4 (up 31 percent)
2006 – 6.8 (up 24 percent)SNF FINAL AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP: Sunday Night Football averaged 21.5 million viewers for the 2011 season, the second-most in its six-year history, just one percent below last year’s high of 21.8 million, 2.1 million more than 2009 (19.4 million) and 4.9 million more than 2008 (16.6 million).
- 21.5 million is the second-most for the NFL’s premier primetime package (SNF on NBC 2006-2010, MNF on ABC 1970-2005) since 1996 (22.7 million).
- The final average household rating of 12.9/20 is the second-best ever for Sunday Night Football, one percent below last year’s high of 13.0/21, 10-percent higher than 2009’s 11.7/19 and 26 percent ahead of 2008 (10.2/16).
Viewers 2+ HH rtg.
1. 2010, 21.8 million, 13.0/21
2. 2011, 21.5 million, 12.9/20
2. 2009, 19.4 million, 11.7/19
3. 2006, 17.5 million, 11.0/18
4. 2008, 16.6 million, 10.2/16
5. 2007, 16.0 million, 10.0/16NBC PRIMETIME GAMES WITH 20 MILLION-OR-MORE VIEWERS: This season, 13 NBC primetime NFL games surpassed 20 million viewers, the most in NBC’s six-year Sunday Night Football history. Last year there were 11 games to surpass 20 million. In 2009, there were seven games that surpassed 20 million viewers, and from 2006-2008 a total of six games reached that milestone.
SNF games with more than 20 million viewers per season:
2011 – 13
2010 – 11
2009 – 7
2008 – 2
2007 – 1
2006 – 3FOOTBALL NIGHT DRAWS RECORD AUDIENCE: The critically acclaimed Football Night in America, had its best season ever, drawing a record 8.9 million viewers (7:30-8:15 p.m. ET).
Football Night Season Averages vs. Prior Years
2011 – 8.9 million viewers
2010 – 8.3 million viewers (up seven percent)
2009 – 7.4 million viewers (up 20 percent)
2008 – 6.3 million viewers (up 41 percent)
2007 – 6.2 million viewers (up 44 percent)
2006 – 6.5 million viewers (up 37 percent)MORE ARE WATCHING NFL FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY NIGHTS: In the six years since the shift of the NFL’s premier primetime package from Monday to Sunday nights, Sunday Night Football is averaging 5.3 million more viewers (21.5 million) than the last season of Monday Night Football on ABC in 2005 (16.2 million).
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL TOP 20 METERED MARKETS – FULL 2011 SEASON:
1. New Orleans, 25.4/34
2. Milwaukee, 20.4/30
3. Pittsburgh, 20.0/30
4. Baltimore, 19.5/30
5. Las Vegas, 19.1/29
6. Dallas, 18.7/29
7. Richmond, 17.9/27
8. Norfolk, 17.5/26
9. Indianapolis, 17.2/27
10. Albuquerque, 16.4/25
11. San Diego, 16.0/27
12. Washington D.C., 15.8/27
T13. Nashville, 15.5/22
T13. Kansas City, 15.5/24
T15. Atlanta, 15.3/24
T15. Austin, 15.3/25
T15. Memphis, 15.3/22
18. San Antonio, 15.0/22
19. Philadelphia, 14.8/23
20. Sacramento, 14.7/25
That does it.
