Despite a record-setting season finale, NBC had slight declines for NFL coverage this year.
Nineteen NFL regular season games averaged a 12.8 rating and 21.4 million viewers on NBC, down a tick in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (12.9, 21.5M), and down 2% in both measures compared to 2010 (13.0, 21.8M).
NBC aired one extra game this season — the Thanksgiving night game between the Patriots and Jets. The Patriots’ blowout win was the lowest rated NFL telecast of the season on NBC, earning a 10.1 rating. Excluding that game, NBC averaged a 12.9 rating and approximately 21.5 million viewers — on par with last year.
Overall, the 2012 regular season ranks as the third-best for the NFL on NBC since the network resumed airing games in 2006 (seven seasons).
The top game of the season on NBC — or any other network — was Sunday’s Week 17 Dallas/Washington game (17.0, 30.3M). The network’s Steelers/Broncos game in Week 1 (16.5, 27.6M) ranked as the second-highest rated and third-most viewed game of the season.
The lowest rated NBC game of the season was Patriots/Jets on Thanksgiving night (10.1), and the least-viewed was Steelers/Bengals in Week 7 (17.5M).
Ratings/Viewership For NFL on NBC
2012 regular season
|
WK #
|
Date
|
Away
|
Home |
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed., 9/5/12 | Cowboys | Giants | NBC |
14.7
|
23.9M
|
| Sun., 9/9/12 | Steelers | Broncos | NBC |
16.5
|
27.6M
|
|
| 2 | Sun., 9/16/12 | Lions | Niners | NBC |
12.9
|
21.3M
|
| 3 | Sun., 9/23/12 | Patriots | Ravens | NBC |
12.9
|
21.3M
|
| 4 | Sun., 9/30/12 | Giants | Eagles | NBC |
14.1
|
22.8M
|
| 5 | Sun., 10/7/12 | Chargers | Saints | NBC |
11.2
|
18.3M
|
| 6 | Sun., 10/14/12 | Packers | Texans | NBC |
11.8
|
19.9M
|
| 7 | Sun., 10/21/12 | Steelers | Bengals | NBC |
10.7
|
17.5M
|
| 8 | Sun., 10/28/12 | Saints | Broncos | NBC |
10.7
|
17.7M
|
| 9 | Sun., 11/4/12 | Cowboys | Falcons | NBC |
13.2
|
21.8M
|
| 10 | Sun., 11/11/12 | Texans | Bears | NBC |
12.4
|
20.9M
|
| 11 | Sun., 11/18/12 | Ravens | Steelers | NBC |
11.0
|
18.2M
|
| 12 | Thu., 11/22/12 | Patriots | Jets | NBC |
10.1
|
19.2M
|
| Sun., 11/25/12 | Packers | Giants | NBC |
12.6
|
20.9M
|
|
| 13 | Sun., 12/2/12 | Eagles | Cowboys | NBC |
12.4
|
20.4M
|
| 14 | Sun., 12/9/12 | Lions | Packers | NBC |
12.8
|
21.4M
|
| 15 | Sun., 12/16/12 | Niners | Patriots | NBC |
13.9
|
23.2M
|
| 16 | Sun., 12/23/12 | Niners | Seahawks | NBC |
11.4
|
19.5M
|
| 17 | Sun., 12/30/12 | Cowboys | Washington | NBC |
17.0
|
30.3M
|
(Season averages from NBC Universal Media Village)
