Despite scoring its lowest rating and smallest audience of the season, Sunday Night Football continued to trend above last year.
The Week 10 Cardinals/Seahawks Sunday Night Football game had an 11.4 final rating and 19.4 million viewers on NBC, up 8% in ratings and 7% in viewership from Bears/Packers last year (10.6, 18.1M) but down 7% and 8%, respectively, from Cowboys/Saints in 2013 (12.3, 21.1M). The teams also met on SNF last season, their Week 16 matchup scoring an almost identical 11.5 and 19.3 million.
The Cardinals’ win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched SNF telecast this season (11 total), falling below the previous marks of 11.8 and 19.6 million for 49ers/Giants in Week 5. Every other game on NBC this season has had at least a 12.0 rating and 20 million viewers.
Despite the relatively soft numbers, Sunday’s game continued a hot start for NBC this season. Ten of the 11 telecasts on the network have had an increase in ratings and viewership, the lone exception being Eagles/Panthers in Week 7.
Among adults 18-49, SNF scored a 7.0 rating — up 8% from last year (6.5) but down 10% from 2013 (7.8). The 7.0 is the second-lowest for NBC this season, ahead of the previously mentioned 49ers/Giants game (6.9).
NBC has now averaged 23.1 million viewers for NFL coverage this season, up 10% from last year (21.1M), up 7% from 2013 (21.5M) and the highest ten-week average for any primetime NFL package in 19 years — since ABC averaged 23.4 million for Monday Night Football in 1996. Average ratings were not immediately available.
(Sun. numbers via TV Media Insights; season avg. from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
