Sunday Night Football Gets Highest Average NFL Primetime Viewership in 14 Years

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We have the ratings for Sunday Night Football and while Philadelphia-San Francisco was the lowest viewed game of the series for this season, it still managed to win the primetime ratings and beat all comers.

The viewership was 16.9 million, well below the average of 21.8 million viewers, but still good enough to win the night for NBC. Through five weeks, the viewership is the highest since 1996 when the main primetime package was ABC’s Monday Night Football. We have the numbers.

“SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL”: BEST AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP IN 14 YEARS

No. 1 Show on Sunday Night For 5^th Straight Week

No. 1 Primetime Show of the Week in All Key Adult and Male Demos For 5^th Straight Week

No. 1 Primetime Show on Television in All Key Adult and Male Demos

NEW YORK – October 12, 2010 – Through the first five weeks of the NFL season, “Sunday Night Football” is averaging nearly 22 million viewers, the most for the first five weeks of a primetime NFL package in 14 years (24.7 million in 1996 on ABC). “Sunday Night Football” was the No. 1 show on Sunday night for the fifth consecutive week and the No. 1 show of the week in the key advertising demographics and is the No. 1 show of the primetime television season in the adult and male demographics, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

• NBC’s five-week viewership of 21.8 million is nearly two million more than and nine percent above last year’s 20.0 million for the opening five weeks of the NFL season and up 27 percent over the first five weeks in 2008 (17.2 million).

• “Sunday Night Football,” featuring the 27-24 win by the Philadelphia Eagles, who were without starting QB Mike Vick, over the winless San Francisco 49ers, was seen by 16.9 million viewers, the second most when head-to-head with MLB divisional playoffs since 1997 and a gain of six percent over last year’s Week 5 SNF game (Colts-Titans, 16.0 million).

SNF NOW 5 FOR 5: With 16.9 million viewers, “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched regularly scheduled primetime show on Sunday night for the fifth straight week this season. Last season, SNF 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).

NO. 1 SHOW OF THE WEEK: For the fifth straight week “Sunday Night Football” was the No. 1 regularly-scheduled primetime broadcast of the week by a wide margin among Adults 18-49, the coveted advertiser demographic, as well as among Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, Men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

• For the week, “Sunday Night Football” has a 46 percent margin of victory over the No. 2 shows in Adults 18-49 (6.7 for SNF vs. 4.6 for Glee on Fox, Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family on ABC).

• Through five weeks of the NFL season, “Sunday Night Football” stands as the most-watched primetime show on television, and the No. 1 regularly scheduled primetime show in all key adult and male demos.

SNF AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP THROUGH FIVE WEEKS:

1. 2010, 21.8 million

2. 2009, 20.0 million

3. 2006, 18.0 million

4. 2007, 17.3 million

5. 2008, 17.2 million

The 10.3/17 national rating for Sunday night’s game is six percent ahead of last year’s Week 5 SNF game (Colts-Titans, 9.7/16). The five-week average household rating of 13.1/22 is a full rating point and eight percent higher than last year’s first five weekends (12.1/20) and 24 percent ahead of the first five weeks in 2008 (10.6/17).

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR EAGLES-49ERS:

1. Philadelphia, 24.1/34

2. Las Vegas, 21.5/33

3. Sacramento-Stockton, 19.3/33

4. San Francisco, 19.0/37

5. Norfolk, 18.5/27

6. New Orleans, 14.9/20

7. Richmond, 14.6/22

8. Nashville, 14.3/21

9. Milwaukee, 13.7/22

10. Albuquerque-Santa Fe, 13.6/22

Another release coming up. I have to catch up after being in and out of the office today.

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