For the third time in four weeks, ratings and viewership dropped for Thursday Night Football.
The Week 8 Dolphins/Patriots Thursday Night Football game earned a 10.9 final rating and 17.5 million viewers on CBS and NFL Network, down 11% in ratings and 13% in viewership from Chargers/Broncos last year (12.3, 20.2M) but up 252% and 258%, respectively, from Buccaneers/Panthers on NFL Network and local affiliates in 2013 (3.1, 4.9M).
As mentioned above, the Patriots’ blowout win was the third of the past four TNF telecasts to have a decline in ratings and viewership. CBS started its run as Thursday Night Football broadcaster with 11 straight increases, though the first eight of those were a formality due to the addition of broadcast TV exposure.
Despite the decline, Thursday’s game scored the fifth-highest rating and viewership in the history of Thursday Night Football (dates back to 2006) — with the caveat that only 15 TNF telecasts have aired on broadcast TV.
TNF scored a 6.0 overnight rating among adults 18-49, down 10% from last year (6.7).
(Thu. numbers via TV Media Insights)
