New Year’s Day brought a multi-year high to FOX and declines to CBS and NBC.
The Week 17 NFL singleheader window (mostly Saints-Eagles, Jets-Seahawks or Panthers-Buccaneers) averaged 22.0 million viewers on FOX New Year’s Day — the largest singleheader audience in any week of the season since 2015 (mostly Panthers-Giants: 25.0M). Keep in mind that out-of-home viewing, which was not tracked in final nationals until two years ago, is pronounced on national holidays.
On an in-home basis, it was the highest rated singleheader (10.75) since Week 2 in 2019 (10.84). Ratings increased 7% and viewership 17% from last year on CBS, the only other Week 17 singleheader in recent years (10.0, 18.77M).
The singleheader was Sunday’s only NFL telecast to post an increase over last year. CBS averaged a 12.0 and 24.62 million for its national window (Vikings-Packers in 92% of markets), down 13% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year on FOX (mostly Cardinals-Cowboys: 13.8, 26.79M) but still the most-watched Week 17 window on CBS in a decade. (Week 17, which marked the final week of the season until last year, used to feature competing doubleheaders on CBS and FOX).
The CBS early window (Dolphins-Patriots in 46% of markets) slipped 7% in ratings (from 8.0 to 7.45) and 2% in viewership (from 14.82M to 14.58M). Even with the pair of declines, CBS remains at a seven-year high for the season with a 17-week average of 18.50 million.
Over on NBC, Sunday Night Football again underperformed with an underwhelming ‘flex’ game. Ravens-Steelers averaged an 8.9 and 17.18 million, down 10% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (Vikings-Packers: 9.9, 18.55M). NBC has posted declines for four-straight games, with three of those games flexed onto its schedule.
Rounding out the Week 17 action, the season finale of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football (Cowboys-Titans) averaged a 4.5 and 9.73 million last week — ranking a middle-of-the-pack eighth out of the 15 total TNF games. Season averages for TNF were not immediately available.
(The primary story in the NFL this week has been the on-field cardiac arrest suffered by Bills S Damar Hamlin during Bills-Bengals on Monday Night Football. From the start of the abbreviated game through the NFL’s decision to suspend play, an audience of 24.9 million viewers were watching ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. The subsequent SportsCenter averaged 9.1 million on ABC and 5.2 million on ESPN.)
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 1.4)
