Thursday Night Football ratings hit an all-time record in the metered markets.
The Week 13 Saints-Cowboys Thursday Night Football game combined for a 14.6 overnight rating on FOX and NFL Network, the highest in the history of the TNF package.* The previous mark was a 14.3 for Broncos-Chiefs on CBS and NFL Network in 2015.
The 14.6 is up 43% from the ninth TNF simulcast of last season (Week 14 Saints-Falcons: 10.2), and up 45% from the ninth simulcast in 2016 (Week 15 Rams-Seahawks: 10.1).
Compared to last year’s Week 13 edition, Washington-Dallas, overnights increased 36% from a 10.7.
The Cowboys’ win tied the second-highest primetime overnight of the NFL season, matching Chiefs-Patriots on NBC in Week 6 and behind only Packers-Patriots on NBC in Week 9 (15.6).
Saints-Cowboys was the tenth straight NFL telecast — dating back to Chiefs-Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 11 — to post an increase in the metered markets. Keep in mind that one of those ten (last Sunday’s singleheader) ended up declining in the final nationals.
* Keep in mind that does not include Patriots-Giants in Week 17 of the 2007 season, a Saturday night game that aired on NBC, CBS and NFL Network due to New England’s perfect record.
[Numbers from Fox Sports PR/Twitter 11.30]
