The Eagles and Falcons helped NBC soar over the competition on Sunday night.
The Week 2 Eagles/Falcons Sunday Night Football game earned a 15.7 overnight rating on NBC, up 3% from last year (NYG/IND: 15.2), but down 5% from the 2009 game (NYG/DAL: 16.5), which featured the much-hyped debut of the new Cowboys Stadium.
The 15.7 is the ninth-highest regular season NFL overnight on NBC since the network resumed airing games in 2006.
Sunday’s game trounced the 2011 Emmy Awards on FOX (9.4) by 67%. The last time Sunday Night Football aired opposite the Emmy Awards (2009), football won the overnight battle by 65% (16.5 to 10.0).
Atlanta (33.6) was the top market for Sunday’s game, just barely edging second-place Philadelphia (33.5). New Orleans (27.9) was the top neutral market, and Virginia markets Richmond (27.4) and Norfolk (25.7) rounded out the top five.
Other than New Orleans, each of the top five markets had a tie to Eagles QB Michael Vick. Vick plays for Philadelphia, once played for Atlanta, and hails from Virginia.
10 Highest Regular Season NFL Overnights on NBC
Since the network resumed airing games in 2006
(Information from NBC Sports Group press release via Fang’s Bites)
