Sunday Night Football ratings increased for a third straight week.
Ravens-Steelers had a 10.4 rating and 17.9 million viewers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football over the weekend, up 9% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (Colts-Seahawks: 9.6, 16.7M). Compared to 2016 (Chiefs-Steelers), ratings increased a tick (from 10.3) but viewership fell 1% (from 18.1M).
The Ravens’ win was NBC’s highest rated Week 4 game in three years, since Cowboys-Saints in 2015 (14.1).
After hitting ten-year lows for both of its Week 1 games, NBC has scored an increase for its subsequent three telecasts.
Compared to last year’s Ravens-Steelers game on NBC, which took place in Week 14, ratings and viewership increased 3% and 4% respectively from a 10.1 and 17.2 million. Sunday’s game was the highest rated and most-watched game between the rivals since 2015 on Thursday Night Football (11.8, 19.4M).
SNF scored a 6.1 rating in adults 18-49, up 5% from last year (5.8) but down 9% from 2016 (6.7). Ratings also increased eight percent in adults 25-54 (from 6.6 to 7.1), but were merely flat in adults 18-34 (4.7). The 4.7 in adults 18-34 is tied as the lowest for SNF in Week 4 since 2005 on ESPN (2.9).
Pittsburgh led all markets Sunday night with a 42.7 rating, down 5% from last year’s Steelers-Ravens SNF game (44.4). Baltimore ranked second at a 32.3 (+5%) and Washington D.C. third at a 19.1 (+18%). New Orleans was the top neutral market with a 19.0, with Norfolk, Va. rounding out the top five (18.1).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 10.2, NBC Sports]
