Ratings and viewership hit lows for a rare non-NBC Sunday night football game.
Sunday’s Seahawks-Vikings NFL preseason game averaged a 3.2 rating and 5.30 million viewers on FOX, marking the lowest rated and least-watched Sunday night NFL game — excluding NFL Network — since the league’s current television deals began in 2006.
The previous lows were a 3.3 and 5.41 million for Rams-Titans in 2015, the last time FOX aired a Sunday night game. Versus last year’s lone Sunday night preseason game, Cardinals-Cowboys on NBC, ratings fell 27% (from 4.4) and viewership 26% (from 7.17M).
Compared to last year’s preseason games on FOX, the numbers were a mixed bag. Ratings fell 24% and viewership 19% from Eagles-Browns on a Thursday night (4.2, 6.52M), but increased 28% and 33% respectively from Bengals-Bills on a Sunday afternoon (2.5, 3.98M).
As one would expect, Seahawks-Vikings was still the top sporting event of the weekend. It nearly tripled the competing Cubs-Pirates Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN (1.1, 1.76M).
Earlier in the day, CBS averaged a 2.5 and 3.93 million for Saints-Chargers. Compared to last year’s preseason games on CBS, ratings increased 19% and viewership 22% from Lions-Buccaneers on a Friday night (2.1, 3.23M) and 14% and 16% respectively from the same Saints-Chargers matchup on a Saturday night (2.2, 3.40M).
Shifting to NFL Network, Chiefs-Steelers averaged a 1.0 and 1.66 million Saturday night — flat in ratings and up 2% in viewership from last year (Bengals-Cowboys: 1.0, 1.63M), but down a tick and 5% respectively from 2017 (Colts-Cowboys: 1.1, 1.74M).
Browns-Colts had a 0.8 (-16%) and 1.20 million (-18%) earlier in the day. The Cowboys-Rams nightcap brought up the rear with a 0.7 (flat) and 1.13 million (-1%).
Finally, Bears-Giants drew a 0.6 (-25%) and 1.05 million (-20%) on Friday night.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 8.20]
