It was not much of a game, but the third-ever matchup of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers nonetheless delivered a four-year viewership high.
Last Sunday’s Packers-Buccaneers NFL national window averaged an 11.9 rating and 22.31 million viewers on FOX, marking the NFL’s largest Week 6 audience since 2016 (mostly Cowboys-Packers: 28.01M). Versus last year’s comparable window on CBS (mostly Cowboys-Jets), ratings fell 2% (from 12.2) but viewership increased 4% (from 21.42M).
Tampa Bay’s comfortable win delivered the fourth-largest audience of the NFL season. The Buccaneers have been featured in two of the top four windows, their Week 1 matchup against the Saints leading the way (25.85M).
Ranking second for the week, CBS averaged an 8.9 (-6%) and 16.66 million (+2%) for coverage featuring Browns-Steelers in 46% of markets, its most-watched singleheader in the month of October since 2016.
The good times did not extend to NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which mustered only a 7.1 (-17%) and 12.60 million (-15%) for Rams-49ers — the lowest rated SNF game since 2008 (Seahawks-Buccaneers: 6.3) and least-watched since 2011 (Colts-Saints: 12.47M). L.A.’s loss aired directly opposite Game 7 of the MLB National League Championship Series, won by the Dodgers (5.2, 9.66M).
Not coincidentally, it was the first SNF game to air opposite an LCS Game 7 since the aforementioned 2008 game. That is not the only stat the games have in common. Rams-49ers was the third-straight edition of SNF with less than a 9.0 rating. The only other time that has happened since NBC acquired rights was a three-week stretch in 2008 that ended with the same Seahawks-Buccaneers game.
The recent slump is no surprise; prior to going up against Game 7 Sunday night, SNF faced the NBA Finals in the previous two weeks.
As for the other primetime windows, the delayed Chiefs-Bills “Thursday Night Football” game averaged 12.16 million viewers on FOX and NFL Network Monday afternoon. Compared to the season’s two other postponed games, Kansas City’s win ranked between Patriots-Chiefs in Week 4 (14.60M) and Bills-Titans in Week 5 (10.80M), both of which aired in primetime on CBS.
Chiefs-Bills outdrew the Cardinals-Cowboys Monday Night Football game on ESPN, which averaged 11.32 million — down 15% from last year (Lions-Packers: 13.34M) and ESPN’s least-watched Cowboys game since the final game of its old Sunday night package in 2006 (Rams-Cowboys: 9.07M).
In adults 18-49, MNF (3.6) edged Chiefs-Bills (3.5) and came within a hair of SNF (3.7).
Rounding out the Week 6 slate, FOX averaged a 6.7 and 12.10 million for regional action featuring Bears-Panthers Sunday afternoon — down 13% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year on CBS (mostly Texans-Chiefs: 7.7, 13.00M).
The full list of 2020 NFL ratings is available here.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 10.20 a, b; CBS Sports PR, Fox Sports PR]
