Though down double-digits from last year’s Week 16 game (which aired on a Tuesday night) Sunday’s Bears/Packers matchup on NBC earned the league’s best Christmas overnight since 1995.
The Week 16 edition of Sunday Night Football, a Christmas night game between the Bears and Packers, earned a 12.6 overnight rating on NBC — down 17% from Week 16 last year (MIN/PHI: 15.2), but up 9% from Week 16 in 2009 (DAL/WSH: 11.6).
Last year’s game was postponed from Sunday night to Tuesday night.
The 12.6 overnight is the best for an NFL game on Christmas Day since the 1995-96 season (DAL/ARI: 14.0, ABC). The last Christmas game on broadcast television (PHI/DAL, 2006) earned a 12.5 overnight.
For the season, the game ranks as the sixth-lowest rated in the metered markets (seventeen telecasts).
Milwaukee was the top market for Sunday’s game (45.8), followed by Chicago (29.2). New Orleans (20.7), Las Vegas (18.5) and Minneapolis (17.9) rounded out the top five.
To the surprise of no one, Sunday’s game easily topped all NBA competition, including the two primetime games on ESPN (ORL/OKC: 1.9; LAC/GS: 2.3).
(Sunday’s numbers from NBC Sports Group press release via Fang’s Bites)
