NBC's SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL is No. 1 Primetime Program of the Week

The Patriots-Ravens Sunday Night Football game on NBC was seen by an average of 21.3 million people and registered a national rating of 12.9 and a 21 share, according to official national ratings data released today by The Nielsen Company. The game was the No. 1 primetime program of the week for the third straight week, and led NBC to another Sunday night win while going head-to-head against the Emmy Awards on ABC. Additionally, this marks the first time in NBC’s seven-year Sunday Night Football history that each of its first four games have drawn more than 21 million viewers.

The viewership and household rating for Sunday night’s game (8:31-11:58 p.m. ET), in which the Ravens defeated the Patriots, 31-30, on a game-winning field goal, is up four and six percent, respectively, from last year’s Sunday Night Football Week 3 contest, (Steelers-Colts, 20.4 million, 12.2/19).

The national rating peaked from 9:30-10 p.m. ET at a 14.2/21.

SNF NO. 1 SHOW OF THE WEEK: For the third straight week Sunday Night Football was the No. 1 primetime broadcast of the week among viewers, households and all the key adult and male demos.

SNF IS NO. 1 SHOW OF THE NIGHT, TOPS EMMYS: For the fifth straight time that Sunday Night Football went head-to-head with the Emmy Awards (NBC aired the Emmys in 2010), SNF delivered a convincing victory, topping the awards program this year by eight million viewers (21.3 million vs. 13.3 million).

Sunday Night Football powered NBC to a Sunday night primetime win, averaging 17.5 million viewers from 7:30-11 p.m., 36 percent ahead of second place CBS (12.9 million from 7-11 p.m.), which was boosted by a lengthy NFL overrun.
SNF STARTS STRONG: NBC’s four-game average viewership of 23.5 million is just three percent off from last year’s 24.2 million for NBC’s opening three weeks of the NFL season, the second-best start in the seven-year history of Sunday Night Football, and the second-best start to a season for a primetime package in 16 years (23.6 million for ABC in 1996).

The four-game average household rating of 14.2/23 is just two percent down fom last year (14.5/23), the second-best start in the seven-year history of Sunday Night Football, and the second-best start to a season for a primetime package in 13 years (14.9/25 in 1999 on ABC).
SNF NO. 1 SHOW ON PRIMETIME TELEVISION: For the 2011-2012 primetime television season (September 19-April 16), Sunday Night Football ranked as the most-watched (persons 2+) and highest-rated show, 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, based on Nielsen live + same day data. Additionally, SNF was the No. 3 show among Women 18-34, and the No. 4 show among Women 18-49.

*2012-2013 Primetime television season began Sunday, Sept. 23

Sunday Night Football has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series each of the last four years.

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR PATRIOTS-RAVENS:

1. Baltimore

38.3/54

2. Boston

37.1/56

3. Providence

29.9/43

4. Richmond

20.1/28

5. Las Vegas

18.2/27

6. Washington D.C.

17.6/28

7. Nashville

17.0/24

8. Milwaukee

16.9/25

9. Charlotte

16.1/25

10. Norfolk

16.0/23

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