Week 16 of the NFL season brought a fourth straight week of soft numbers for “Sunday Night Football.”
The Week 16 Bears/Eagles “Sunday Night Football” game drew an 11.0 final rating and 18.3 million viewers on NBC December 22, down 3% in ratings and 6% in viewership from 49ers/Seahawks last year (11.4, 19.5M), and down 13% and 24%, respectively, from Bears/Packers on Christmas night in 2011 (12.6, 24.0M).
Bears/Eagles was the fourth straight NFL telecast on NBC to draw fewer than 20 million viewers, with each taking place in the month of December. By comparison, only three of the network’s 14 telecasts failed to earn 20 million.
Each of NBC’s four December telecasts has had a decline in ratings and viewership compared to both last year and 2011, and that trend should continue when the final numbers for the Week 17 Eagles/Cowboys game are released.
Among adults 18-49, the Week 16 edition of “SNF” had a 6.2 rating — down 8% from last year (6.7), and down 20% from 2011 (7.7).
(Week 16 finals from Nielsen; additional info from TV By the Numbers)
