Packers/Seahawks Chaos Gives “SportsCenter” Largest Audience on Record

Posted by | 09/25/2012 at 5:48 pm

A public relations nightmare for the National Football League resulted in the most-viewed edition of “SportsCenter” in at least 22 years.

The 12 AM ET edition of “SportsCenter,” which aired immediately following Monday’s Packers/Seahawks NFL game, earned a 4.5 U.S. rating and 6.462 million viewers on ESPN.

The telecast ranks as the most-viewed edition of “SportsCenter” since at least 1990, topping an episode last November that followed a Vikings/Packers NFL game (5.940M).

“SportsCenter” aired live for 90 minutes following Packers/Seahawks, with anchors Linda Cohn and Scott Van Pelt covering the controversial finish to the game.

Among adults 18-49, “SportsCenter” drew a 3.1 rating. To put that in perspective, Sunday’s Emmy Awards on ABC drew a 3.9 in the demo, and an episode of “60 Minutes” the same night featuring both presidential candidates drew a 2.7.

(Monday’s numbers from ESPN, with adults 18-49 rating from TV By the Numbers)