A shift from CBS to FOX boosted the NFL singleheader to its largest Week 1 audience on record.
The Week 1 NFL singleheader window, featuring Packers/Bears in 47% of markets, drew an 11.6 rating and 20.1 million viewers according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up 17% in ratings and 22% in viewership from last year (9.9, 16.5M) and up 22% and 30%, respectively, from 2013 (9.5, 15.5M). Prior to this year, the Week 1 singleheader aired on CBS each year from 2001-14.
Sunday’s telecast ranks as the most-watched Week 1 singleheader on record (dating back to 1988) and is tied with 2000 — the last time the window aired on FOX — as the highest rated since 1994.
Keep in mind that Sunday’s singleheader window included 4:05 PM ET games in nearly a third of television markets. In previous years, CBS would only air 1 PM games during its Week 1 singleheader to accommodate U.S. Open coverage.
Compared to the first singleheader window on FOX last season, which took place in Week 2, ratings and viewership increased by 3% and 4%, respectively, from an 11.3 and 19.4 million.
(Sun. numbers from Fox Sports)
