1:00 PM start or not, the New England Patriots are a big draw.
CBS drew its second highest single-header NFL rating since returning to coverage in 1998, thanks in part to the Patriots’ defeat of the New York Jets. Regional coverage in the 1:00 PM window drew a 13.9/27 rating, tied for the highest overnight of the season in that timeslot.
Patriots/Jets aired in 27% of the country, second to Jaguars/Steelers, which aired in 32%.
The 13.9 overnight finished as the second highest of the weekend, surpassed only by the 16.1/29 for Eagles/Cowboys on FOX.
So far this season, the Patriots have been involved in the highest rated NFL regular season game in eleven years (Patriots/Colts on November 4, which drew a 20.1 on CBS) and the most watched program in cable history (Patriots/Ravens on December 3, which drew 17.5 million viewers on ESPN). With the team drawing big audiences for nearly every game on their way to an undefeated season, the NFL Network is charging advertisers double for its broadcast of the Patriots/Giants game on December 29.
The NFL Network is “selling its remaining ad units at north of $200,000” for the game, which could feature a 15-0 Patriots squad going for a perfect record. Ad units for other games this season have sold for $85,000. Network officials are hoping the game will draw at least a 7.0 national rating, which would make the game the highest rated in NFL Network history. Earlier this season, Cowboys/Packers on NFL Network drew a 5.6 national rating and 10.1 million viewers.
