With three weeks to go in the season, CBS is on pace for the most-watched AFC season in decades.
The Week 14 NFL singleheader window scored a 10.9 final rating and 18.6 million viewers on CBS last Sunday afternoon, up 3% in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year (10.6, 17.6M) but down 9% and 8%, respectively, from 2013 (12.0, 20.2M).
The telecast ranks second out of the seven singleheader windows on CBS this season, behind coverage in Week 7 (19.2M), and sixth out of the 14 overall.
Not including Thursday Night Football, CBS has now averaged 19.3 million viewers for NFL coverage this season — up 2% from last year (18.9M) and the highest average on record for the NFL’s AFC package at this point of the season (dates back to 1987). That still trails FOX, which averaged 20.6 million through Week 14.
Viewership has now increased for 13 of the 23 Sunday windows on CBS (56%), a better rate than FOX (48%) and ESPN (40%), but behind NBC (75%). With Thursday Night Football included, CBS has scored increases for 18 of 31 telecasts — 58%.
(Sun. numbers via Sports Business Daily, CBS Press Express)
