Thursday Night Football ratings posted a rare decline in Week 10.
The latest edition of Thursday Night Football (Chargers-Raiders) averaged an 8.2 rating and 13.52 million viewers on FOX and NFL Network, down 8% in ratings and viewership from last year (Panthers-Steelers: 8.9, 14.75M), but up 4% and 3% respectively from 2017 (Seahawks-Cardinals: 7.9, 13.10M).
Oakland’s win was the first TNF simulcast to decline from last season, snapping a streak of six straight gains for the series. Including Sunday games, it was just the fourth of 20 windows on FOX this season to decline.
The 8.2 rating is also the lowest of the season for a primetime NFL game on broadcast television, if just a tick below the previous mark of 8.3. By the same point last season, four games had pulled a lower rating — including three TNF simulcasts with less than an 8.0.
Despite the drop, Chargers-Raiders trails only last year as the highest rated and most-watched Week 10 edition of TNF (dates back to 2008). Keep in mind that prior to 2017, the Week 10 games aired exclusively on NFL Network.
TNF drew a 3.9 rating in adults 18-49 (-17%) and a 2.6 in adults 18-34 (-28%). As usual, it dominated the night on television in viewership and the key demos.
[Nielsen estimates from Programming Insider 11.8]
