The unofficial start of the NFL season delivered strong numbers on NBC.
The Steelers/Vikings NFL Hall of Fame Game drew a 6.9 overnight rating on NBC Sunday night, up 19% from Giants/Bills last year (5.8), up 3% from Cowboys/Dolphins in 2013 (6.7), and the highest overnight for the game in five years — since Cowboys/Bengals in 2010 (7.6).
Overall, the 6.9 overnight is the highest for any NFL preseason game since 2012, when Panthers/Jets drew a 7.5 on NBC.
Minneapolis-St. Paul was the top market for Sunday’s game with a 22.6 rating, followed by Pittsburgh (19.6). New Orleans was the top neutral market with an 11.4, with Tulsa (10.4) and Albuquerque (10.2) rounding out the top five.
