Two Thanksgiving Weekend games at the new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey led to two blowouts on NBC, but they still generated viewership. With no real competition on Thanksgiving Night, NBC managed to draw the highest rated and most watched NFL game in primetime on the holiday. Of course, the previous games had been on NFL Network which until the last couple of years, had carriage issues.
But overall, NBC can crow about its ratings and viewership. On Thanksgiving Night where the New England Patriots laid a 40 burger on the New York Jets in a 49-19 drubbing, NBC had a 10.1 rating with a 20 share. And the game had an average of 19.2 million viewers, all of which are highs for the Thanksgiving Night game. In addition, NBC says it was the most watched Thursday night primetime program on any network since the London Olympics.
For NBC’s regularly scheduled Sunday Night Football game, a New York Giants 38-10 blowout of the Green Bay Packers managed to surpass last year’s Week 12 game in both ratings and viewers. The game received a 12.6/19 up 2% from last year and viewership averaged 20.9 million viewers, up 3% from 2011.
Here’s the NBC Sports press release.
“SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” ON NBC IS PRIMETIME TELEVISION’S NO. 1 SHOW
For Second Straight Season, SNF on NBC is No.1 among Viewers, Household Rating and All Key Adult and Male Demographics
Sunday Night Football on NBC and Thanksgiving Night Game on NBC are Top Two Primetime Programs of the Week
SNF on NBC: Packers-Giants Draws 20.9 Million Viewers, up 3% from SNF Week 12 Game in 2011
Packers-Giants Marks 8th Time This Season That an SNF Game Topped 20.5 Million Viewers; More than Any Other Season
Thanksgiving Night Blowout on NBC is Most-Watched Primetime Thanksgiving Game Ever, and is Most-Watched Thursday Night Program on ANY Network Since the London OlympicsNEW YORK – November 28, 2012 – Sunday Night Football on NBC remains the No. 1 show of the primetime television season among viewers, households and all key adult and male demographics. Additionally, SNF ranks No. 3 among all primetime programs for women 18-34. This marks the second consecutive season that Sunday Night Football is the No. 1 show of the primetime television season. Last season marked the first time a sports series was the No.1 show of the primetime television season.
Source: Nielsen Media Research Live + Same Day 9/24-11/25/12
NOTE: The primetime television season began on Monday, Sept. 24 and does not include NBC’s Wednesday night opening game or the first three Sunday Night Football games of the season. Those four games averaged 23.5 million viewers.
SNF AND THANKSGIVING NIGHT GAME TOP NIELSEN CHARTS FOR THE WEEK: Sunday Night Football on NBC was the No. 1 primetime show of the week among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 and total viewers, and between NBC’s Thursday and Sunday NFL coverage, the network accounted for the week’s No. 1 telecast on those networks in adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, total viewers, households and teens 12-17.
SNF THROUGH 12 WEEKS: Through 12 weeks, Sunday Night Football on NBC has surpassed 20.5 million viewers a record eight times. By comparison, through 12 weeks last year and in 2010, this was achieved 7 times.
NBC’s 12-week (14 games) household rating of 12.5/20 and 20.8 million viewers is just two percent below 2011 (12.8/20, 21.2 million) and 2010 (12.8/21, 21.3 million).
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON NBC THROUGH 12 WEEKS:
YEAR Viewers 2+ HH Rating/Share 2012 20.8 million, 12.5/20 2011 21.2 million, 12.8/20 2010 21.3 million, 12.8/21 2009 19.5 million, 11.8/19 2008 16.3 million, 10.1/16 2007 16.6 million, 10.4/17 2006 17.5 million, 11.2/18 PACKERS-GIANTS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Sunday’s blowout game on NBC, in which the Giants defeated the Packers, 38-10, drew 20.9 million viewers, up 3% from last year’s Week 12 SNF game (20.3 million for Steelers-Chiefs). The household rating of 12.6/19 for Sunday’s game is up 2% from last year’s Week 12 SNF game (12.3/19). Both the viewership and rating make this game the second-best Week 12 game in the seven-year history of Sunday Night Football on NBC.
- The Packers-Giants Sunday Night Football broadcast on NBC easily won the night facing original network programming. NBC led the night among viewers 2+ in primetime with 18.1 million viewers (7:30-11 p.m. ET), topping the 11.4 million for second-place Fox, which was aided by an NFL overrun by 59%. NBC also defeated CBS (10.1 million) by 80% and ABC (6.6 million) by 175%. NBC additionally won the night among the major broadcast networks in households and all key demographics.
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PACKERS-GIANTS:
1. Milwaukee 43.8/61 2. New York 18.9/28 3. Memphis 17.8/24 4. Minneapolis 17.5/28 5. Norfolk 17.1/26 6. Denver 16.7/27 7. Indianapolis 16.5/25 8. Richmond 15.9/24 9. Las Vegas 15.6/24 10. Albuquerque 15.3/23 PATRIOTS-JETS THANKSGIVING NIGHT GAME ON NBC:
NBC’s first ever Thanksgiving night game, in which the Patriots defeated the Jets in a 49-19 blowout, drew a 10.1/20 household rating/share and 19.2 million viewers, the highest-rated and most-watched Thanksgiving night game ever.
- The household rating of 10.1 and 19.2 million viewers is up 91% and 79%, respectively, from last year’s primetime Thanksgiving night game on NFL Network (5.3/10, 10.7 million viewers).
- The Patriots-Jets broadcast easily won the night against the broadcast-network competition. NBC led the night among viewers 2+ in primetime with 17.8 million viewers (8-11 p.m. ET), topping the 9.5 million for second-place Fox, which was aided by an NFL overrun, by 86%. NBC also beat CBS (6.8 million) by 159% and ABC (4.2 million) by 333%. NBC additionally won the night among the major broadcast networks in households and all other key demographics.
- The Thanksgiving night game was the most-watched Thursday night program on any network since the Summer Olympics.
TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PATRIOTS-JETS:
1. Boston 35.2/61 2. Providence 31.5/50 3. Hartford 17.5/31 4. Buffalo 15.2/26 5. Richmond 15.0/25 6. Ft. Myers 14.6/26 7. San Diego 14.3/37 8. New York 14.2/27 9. Denver 14.0/32 10. Baltimore 13.5/25
That will do it.
