The first Sunday Night Football game of the season could not quite measure up to previous years.
The Week 1 Colts/Broncos Sunday Night Football game drew a 13.9 final rating and 23.7 million viewers on NBC, down 8% in ratings and 7% in viewership from Giants/Cowboys last year (15.0, 25.4M) and down 16% and 14%, respectively, from Broncos/Steelers in 2012 (16.5, 27.6M).
Colts/Broncos ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed SNF opener since Bears/Packers in 2009 (12.6, 21.1M). Keep in mind the Broncos led by 24 at one point in the first half.
Among adults 18-49, Sunday’s game drew a 9.0 rating — down 10% from last year (10.0) and down 18% from 2012 (11.0). The 9.0 is also the lowest for the SNF opener since 2009 (8.6).
Denver led all markets for the Broncos’ win, with a 43.6 rating. Indianapolis ranked second (39.2), Las Vegas was the top neutral market (22.0) and Albuquerque (19.8) and Nashville (19.7) rounded out the top five.
(Sun. numbers from Media Life Magazine; local numbers from NBC via The Futon Critic)
