After a red hot start to the season, NBC’s Sunday Night Football is in the midst of a slump.
The Week 15 Cardinals/Eagles Sunday Night Football game earned a 10.5 final rating and 18.1 million viewers on NBC, down 27% in ratings and 25% in viewership from Cowboys/Eagles last year (14.3, 24.3M) but up 6% and 10%, respectively, from Bengals/Steelers in 2013 (9.9, 16.4M).
The Cardinals’ blowout win ranks as the lowest rated game of the season on NBC (17 telecasts), falling below the previous mark of 10.7 for Bengals/Cardinals in Week 11. It also ranks as the second-least watched, ahead of only the Week 11 game (18.0M). The Cardinals’ three appearances on NBC this season rank among the network’s four lowest rated and least-watched telecasts.
After ten of NBC’s first eleven NFL telecasts this season had increases in ratings and viewership, four of the past six have declined — including the last three. Sunday’s declines were the steepest thus far, though that is primarily due to the strength of last year’s matchup.
SNF scored a 6.1 rating among adults 18-49, down 29% from last year (8.6) but up 9% from 2013 (5.6). The 6.1 is the lowest of the season for NBC.
(Sun. numbers via TV Media Insights)
