After a record Thanksgiving, Sunday’s NFL leftovers were not quite as potent.
Sunday’s NFL national window (mostly Rams-Chiefs) averaged an 11.9 rating and 23.35 million viewers on FOX, marking a modest decline in ratings and viewership from last year (mostly Rams-Packers: 13.0, ~24.7M). Viewership was the third-lowest for the national window this season, with three of the bottom four featuring the Rams.
The first half of the FOX doubleheader (mostly Buccaneers-Browns or Bears-Jets) also declined, averaging a 7.4 and 13.72 million.
Over on CBS, singleheader coverage averaged a 6.9 and 13.13 million — up from last year but the network’s lowest rating and viewership this season. It was also the lowest rated and least-watched singleheader this season.
Also on the soft side, ESPN’s Monday Night Football (Steelers-Colts) drew a 6.0 and 10.88 million — off slightly from last year (Seattle-Washington: 6.1, ~10.9M) and the sixth of the past seven MNF windows to decline from last season. Outside of the first three weeks of the season when ABC aired coverage, MNF viewership has declined in all-but-two weeks this season.
Bucking the downward trend, NBC’s Sunday Night Football (Packers-Eagles) scored a 10.5 and 19.57 million — up double-digits from last year and the highest Week 12 SNF figures in three years (2019 Packers-49ers: 11.8, 20.83M).
As previously noted, Week 12 opened on a blockbuster note with across-the-board viewership highs for the annual Thanksgiving tripleheader — including the largest NFL regular season audience on record for Giants-Cowboys on FOX (42.06M). The Thanksgiving games were the three most-watched of Week 12.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.30)
