Ratings for the Pro Bowl may be well below regular season NFL games, but the event may be the best proof of the NFL’s strength relative to its competitors.
Last Sunday’s Pro Bowl drew a 5.4/10 final rating and 8.8 million viewers on NBC, down 14% and 12% respectively from a 6.3/12 and 10 million for last year’s game on FOX. Despite the double-digit decline, the Pro Bowl finished as the weekend’s highest rated, most viewed sporting event — surpassing NASCAR’s Budweiser Shootout on FOX (4.9, 8.2 million) and Lakers/Cavaliers on ABC (3.8, 6.1 million).
Ratings peaked at a 6.9/12 from 7:30-7:45 PM.
The 2009 Pro Bowl finishes as the fourth-highest rated and fourth-most viewed of the decade, behind last year’s game and the 2000 and 2003 games.
Since moving back to broadcast in 2007, the Pro Bowl has averaged a 5.4 rating, 38% higher than the 3.9 the game averaged on ESPN during the previous three years. Next year’s game will air on ESPN.
Pro Bowl ratings since 2000.
2009: 5.4/10, 8.8 mil: (Sun., 2/8/09, 4:30 PM NBC)
2008: 6.3/12, 10.0 mil: (Sun.,2/10/08, 4:30 PM FOX)
2007: 4.6/9, 6.9 mil: (Sat., 2/10/07, 6 PM CBS)
2006: 3.7 (4.5), 6.0 mil (Sun., 2/12/06 ESPN)
2005: 4.1 (5.1), 6.2 mil (Sun., 2/13/05 ESPN)
2004: 3.9 (4.8), 6.4 mil (Sun., 2/8/04 ESPN)
2003: 5.9/11, 9.1 mil (Sun., 2/2/03 ABC)
2002: 4.3/9, 7.0 mil (Sat., 2/9/02 ABC)
2001: 4.7/9, 7.0 mil (Sun., 2/4/01 ABC)
2000: 8.6/15, 13.2 mil (Sun., 2/6/00 ABC)
