While NFL Network scored record-setting numbers on Christmas Day, its Christmas Eve matchup was not nearly as strong.
Saturday’s Bengals/Texans Thursday Night Football special had a 3.2 final rating and 6.3 million viewers on NFL Network, down 32% in ratings and 23% in viewership from Washington/Philadelphia last year (4.7, 8.1M) and down 27% and 13% respectively from Philadelphia/Washington in a daytime slot in 2014 (4.4, 7.2M).
Compared to last year’s Christmas Eve game on NFL Network, Chargers/Raiders in the traditional Thursday Night Football window, ratings and viewership each fell 11% from a 3.6 and 7.1 million.
Of the eight NFL games that aired exclusively on NFL Network this season, the Texans’ win ranked third in viewership behind Ravens/Steelers the following day (14.8M) and Dolphins/Bengals in Week 4 (7.9M). Last year, the same figure would have ranked second-to-last on NFL Network, ahead of only Buccaneers/Rams in Week 15 of that season (6.0M).
The telecast had a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 (-24%). To put that in perspective, Ravens/Steelers put up a substantially stronger 4.5 in the demo less than 24 hours later.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 12/28)
