Sunday night was not football night, but Sunday Night Football held up regardless.
The Week 5 Giants/Packers Sunday Night Football game had a 10.2 overnight rating on NBC opposite the second presidential debate, down 22% from 49ers/Giants last year (13.1) and down 20% from Patriots/Bengals in 2014 (12.8). The 10.2 is the lowest for SNF in three years, since Packers/Vikings opposite the World Series in 2013 (9.9).
The 10.2 is fully three points higher than NBC’s SNF record-low of 7.2 for Seahawks/Buccaneers opposite the MLB ALCS in 2008.
The Packers’ win faced considerable competition from the second presidential debate, which had a combined 37.2 overnight rating per Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill. Compared to the night of the first debate two weeks ago, the debate fell 19% from a 46.2, while the NFL increased 79% from a 5.7 for Falcons/Saints on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
SNF peaked at a 12.1 overnight from 8:30-9 PM ET, the final half-hour before the debate. Once the debate concluded, it had an 11.0 from 11-11:30.
Milwaukee led all markets Sunday night with a 43.7 rating, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul and New Orleans (16.9 in each), Richmond, VA (13.9) and Albuquerque (13.2). New York City was tenth with a 12.2.
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports; debate overnight via Michael Mulvihill/Twitter)
