Thursday Night Football Ratings Weak in Week 14

The Jaguars’ return to the cellar was bad news for Thursday Night Football.

FOX and NFL Network earned a combined 6.7 rating and 10.8 million viewers for the Week 14 Jaguars-Titans Thursday Night Football game, up 3% in ratings and 1% in viewership from the tenth TNF simulcast last season (Week 15 Broncos-Colts: 6.5, 10.6M) but down 37% and 40% respectively from the tenth simulcast in 2016 (Week 16 Giants-Eagles: 10.6, 17.9M).

Versus last year’s Week 14 TNF game — Saints-Falcons — ratings fell 25% (from 8.9) and viewership 26% (from 14.6M).

Ratings and viewership were the fourth-lowest on record for a primetime NFL game on broadcast television. This year’s Thursday Night Football schedule accounts for three of the bottom five, with all three games involving a sub-.500 team.

In both adults 18-49 (3.1) and adults 25-54 (3.9), ratings were the third-lowest on record (dating back to 2000) for a primetime NFL game on broadcast TV. Ratings in adults 18-34 were tied as the second-lowest on record (2.2).

Lowest Primetime NFL Ratings, Viewership, on Broadcast TV

Lowest Rated					Least-Watched
#	Year	Game	Rtg	Net	#	Year	Game	Vwrs	Net
1	2018	DEN-ARIZ	5.6	FOX*	1	2018	DEN-ARIZ	9.10M	FOX*
2	2008	SEA-TB	6.3	NBC	2	2008	SEA-TB	10.01M	NBC
3	2017	DEN-IND	6.5	NBC*	3	2017	DEN-IND	10.64M	NBC*
4	2018	JAX-TEN	6.7	FOX*	4	2018	JAX-TEN	10.76M	FOX*
5	2018	OAK-SF	6.8	FOX*	5	2018	OAK-SF	11.06M	FOX*
6	2017	MIA-BAL	7.0	CBS*	6	2007	NO-SEA	11.19M	NBC
7	2007	NO-SEA	7.1	NBC	7	2017	MIA-BAL	11.36M	CBS*
8	2016	SF-AZ	7.4	CBS*	8	2004	TB-STL	11.48M	ABC
T9	2018	MIA-HOU	7.5	FOX*	9	2001	TEN-OAK	11.71M	ABC
	2014	TB-ATL	7.5	CBS*	10	2014	TB-ATL	11.88M	CBS*
	2001	TEN-OAK	7.5	ABC