Once again, NFL games topped the ratings on broadcast television. The NFL notes that all three primetime packages, Sunday, Monday and Thursday Night Football are all up after the first quarter pole of the 2012 season.
Also, NFL games were tops in 27 of the league’s 30 local markets. And the ratings are up from last sason by whopping numbers in Denver (40%), Seattle (39%), San Francisco (22%) and New York (20%). Those are staggering differences from a year ago at this time.
We have the official press release from the National Football League for you below.
NFL GAMES TOP TV VIEWERSHIP IN “PREMIERE WEEK”
Viewership Up on All Primetime Packages after First Quarter of Season
Broncos, Seahawks, 49ers & Giants Top Local Ratings IncreasesNFL telecasts ranked 1-2 in viewership among all television programs during last week’s “premiere week” debuts of network primetime programming.
Giants-Eagles on NBC’s Sunday Night Football topped the charts for the week (Sept. 24-30) with 22.8 million average viewers followed by the FOX national telecast (mostly Saints-Packers) drawing 22.3 million viewers. The top non-NFL program was CBS’ NCIS which averaged 20.5 million viewers for its season premiere.
Since Labor Day, NFL game telecasts rank as the eight most-watched shows on television and are the only programs along with the NCIS premiere to draw more than 20 million viewers.
Viewership for all of the network’s primetime packages are up vs. 2011 with NBC off to its best Sunday Night Football start ever, ESPN’s Monday Night Football up seven percent, and NFL Network off to its best three-game Thursday Night Football start. Final CBS and FOX viewership figures will be available on Thursday.
Locally during premiere week, NFL games topped the ratings in 27 NFL markets:
Program # of NFL Markets Ranked #1
NFL Football 27
NCIS (premiere) 3
Through the first quarter of the 2012 season, NFL games ranked No. 1 in local markets 98 percent of the time – topping the prior record in the season’s first four weeks (93 percent in 2011 and 2010).
The Denver Broncos’ local ratings are up 40 percent compared to last year at this time – tops in the league – followed by the Seattle Seahawks (up 39 percent), San Francisco 49ers (up 22 percent) and New York Giants (up 20 percent).
Following is the list of the NFL markets where football was the top-rated program for the week of Sept. 24-30:
Week of 9/24–9/30
HH
HH
RTG
Market Game Date
RTG
SHR
Rank
New Orleans Saints at Packers 9/30/12
49.7
68
1
Milwaukee Saints at Packers 9/30/12
48.4
74
1
Baltimore Browns at Ravens 9/27/12
40.2
58
1
Buffalo Patriots at Bills 9/30/12
37.0
60
1
Denver Raiders at Broncos 9/30/12
35.1
65
1
Boston Patriots at Bills 9/30/12
32.8
60
1
Philadelphia Giants at Eagles 9/30/12
31.8
46
1
Minneapolis Vikings at Lions 9/30/12
31.0
67
1
Cleveland Browns at Ravens 9/27/12
30.1
46
1
Kansas City Chargers at Chiefs 9/30/12
30.0
54
1
Washington, DC Redskins at Bucs 9/30/12
28.7
49
1
Cincinnati Bengals at Jaguars 9/30/12
25.7
45
1
San Diego Chargers at Chiefs 9/30/12
25.1
48
1
Houston Titans at Texans 9/30/12
24.7
49
1
Atlanta Panthers at Falcons 9/30/12
24.5
47
1
Phoenix Dolphins at Cardinals 9/30/12
24.0
44
1
Charlotte Panthers at Falcons 9/30/12
23.5
44
1
Detroit Vikings at Lions 9/30/12
23.5
45
1
Seattle Seahawks at Rams 9/30/12
21.8
52
1
Nashville Titans at Texans 9/30/12
21.4
37
1
Jacksonville Bengals at Jaguars 9/30/12
20.9
32
1
New York Giants at Eagles 9/30/12
20.7
31
1
Miami Dolphins at Cardinals 9/30/12
19.1
36
1
St. Louis Seahawks at Rams 9/30/12
18.5
38
1
San Fran-Oakland 49ers at Jets 9/30/12
17.9
47
1
Dallas Saints at Packers 9/30/12
16.7
31
1
Chicago Saints at Packers 9/30/12
14.6
28
1
Source: NFL & The Nielsen Company
That’s it for now. Back later.
