NBC drew another solid audience for Sunday Night Football.
Sunday’s Bears/Giants game drew a 12.5 final rating and 20.929 million viewers on NBC, up 14% in ratings and viewership from Chargers/Steelers in Week 4 last season (11.0, 18.416 mil) and up 16% and 21%, respectively, from Bears/Eagles in Week 4 two years ago (10.8, 17.340 mil).
This marks the fourth time in five games this season that NBC has topped twenty million viewers for Sunday Night Football. To put that in perspective, the network hit that mark just 12 times over the previous four seasons combined.
The game drew the largest audience for a primetime NFL telecast in the month of October since 2000. Of course, plenty of afternoon October telecasts have drawn more viewers in recent years — including Sunday’s national window on FOX (23.134 mil).
Among adults 18-49, the game drew an 8.0 rating and 10.505 million viewers, up 8% and 7%, respectively, from last year (7.4, 9.799 mil).
Bears/Giants was the #2 program of the week overall and the #1 program among all key adult and male demographics.
So far this season, NBC is averaging a 13.7 rating and 22.9 million viewers for Sunday Night Football, up 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (12.6, 20.8 mil) and up 26% and 29%, respectively, from 2008 (10.8, 17.8 mil).
This marks the highest average viewership for any NFL primetime package through Week 4 of the season since 1996.
(NBC press release from TV By The Numbers)
