The Cowboys boosted the NFL Hall of Fame Game to its largest audience since 1999 — the last time the team played in the game.
Sunday’s Cowboys/Bengals Hall of Fame Game drew a 6.8 final rating and 11.438 million viewers on NBC, up 39% in ratings and 44% in viewership from Bills/Titans last year (4.9, 7.920 mil) and up 45% and 54%, respectively, from Washington/Colts in 2008 (4.7, 7.446 mil).
This marks the most-viewed Hall of Fame Game since Cowboys/Browns on ABC in ’99 (14.7 mil) and the most-viewed preseason game overall since Cowboys/Raiders on ABC in ’01 (11.5 mil). The latter was the 2001 American Bowl, played in Mexico City.
Additionally, the 6.8 rating is tied as the highest for the Hall of Fame Game since Broncos/Washington on ABC in ’04 (7.3).
Cowboys/Bengals was the #2 program of the week on broadcast, behind only The Bachelorette on ABC (7.5, 11.735 mil). The game was the top program of the week among adults 18-49 (4.2, 5.498 mil) and the rest of the “key adult and male demographics.”
To put the numbers in perspective, the Hall of Fame Game finished only 680,000 viewers behind the recent MLB All-Star Game (7.5, 12.118 mil) and topped the game in the adults 18-49 demo (4.2 to 3.8).
Additionally, the game drew more viewers than all but two of last year’s MLB postseason games (excluding the World Series), all but one of the 2009-10 college football bowl games (excluding the BCS) and every game of the 2010 NBA Playoffs (excluding the NBA Finals).
