It was another down week for the NFL national window, but the numbers were more than respectable.
The Week 13 NFL national window, featuring Giants/Steelers in 85% of markets, had a 14.6 final rating and 25.4 million viewers on FOX Sunday afternoon — down 10% in ratings and 11% in viewership from coverage featuring Panthers/Saints last year (16.3, 28.6M) and down 17% and 18%, respectively, from Patriots/Packers on CBS in 2014 (17.6, 30.9M).
Ratings and viewership were the lowest for the Week 13 national window since 2012 (13.9, 23.0M). The national window, the highest rated NFL telecast of any given week, has now hit a multi-year low eight times in 13 weeks this season.
Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s telecast tied the fourth-highest NFL rating of the season and the highest with Cowboys games excluded, matching the season-opening Kickoff Game. It also earned the sixth-largest audience of the season, and the second-largest with the Cowboys excluded.
In other action, regional action featuring either Lions/Saints or Rams/Patriots in 73% of markets had a 7.3 and 12.2 million — down 22% in ratings and 21% in viewership from last year (10.2, 17.2M) and down 12% and 10%, respectively, from coverage on CBS in 2014 (8.3, 13.6M).
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 12/6)
