Despite the lopsided outcome, Sunday’s game between the Cowboys and Eagles was up on NBC.
The Week 8 Cowboys/Eagles Sunday Night Football game earned a 13.8 final rating and 22.994 million viewers on NBC, up 29% in ratings and 27% in viewership from Week 8 last year (PIT/NO: 10.7, 18.106M), which aired opposite Game 4 of the 2010 World Series. There was no Week 8 game in 2009.
The Eagles’ blowout win earned NBC’s best NFL audience since Week 2 (PHI/ATL: 14.3, 23.424M).
Sunday’s game was also up substantially from the Week 7 Colts/Saints blowout (a 55-point Saints drubbing), which earned an unusually low 7.6 and 12.465 million opposite Game 4 of this year’s World Series.
Sunday Night Football was the top program of the week on broadcast in ratings, viewership and the adults 18-49 demographic.
Through Week 8, the network has averaged a 12.8 rating and 21.3 million viewers for NFL coverage, down 2% in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (13.0, 21.5M), but up 10% and 12%, respectively, from 2009 (11.6, 19.1M).
The network had been up over last year, but the previously mentioned Colts/Saints game dragged down the average.
(This year’s numbers from NBC Sports Group press release via Fang’s Bites)
