One week after unusually poor numbers for their rout of Jacksonville, Cowboys ratings bounced back on CBS.
The Week 7 NFL national window, featuring Dallas-Washington in 80% of markets, had a 12.2 rating and 20.9 million viewers on CBS, up 8% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (mostly Bengals-Steelers: 11.3, 19.8M) but down 3% and 4% respectively from 2016 (Patriots-Steelers: 12.6, 21.7M).
The telecast ranks as the highest rated on CBS this season, and the second-most watched. The Week 2 national window (mostly Patriots-Jaguars) had 20.97 million.
Compared to last year’s first Dallas-Washington game, which aired on FOX in Week 8, ratings fell 4% (from 12.7) and viewership 5% (from 22.0M).
The national window was the top NFL telecast of Week 7, and the only one to post an increase in ratings or viewership. That was a return to form for the Cowboys, whose blowout of Jacksonville was the only Week 6 window to decline.
Earlier in the day, CBS drew a 7.6 and 12.61 million for the first half of its doubleheader — down 7% in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year (8.2, 13.4M) but up 9% and 11% respectively from 2016 (7.0, 11.3M).
Rounding out the day’s action, the special Titans-Chargers game from London had a 3.7 rating and 5.8 million viewers early Sunday morning. There was no comparable window in Week 7 last year. Compared to last year’s only morning game on broadcast television, Saints-Dolphins on FOX in Week 4, ratings fell 8% (from 4.0) and viewership 9% (from 6.4M).
The Chargers’ win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched NFL game on broadcast TV since at least 2000. The previous lows were set by last year’s Saints-Dolphins game.
The full list of Week 7 NFL ratings is available here.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 10.23]
