Sunday’s battle for the last NFL playoff berth earned the largest regular season NFL audience on NBC since the network resumed airing games in 2006.
The Week 17 Cowboys/Giants Sunday Night Football game earned a 15.7 final rating and 27.624 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, up 39% in ratings and 43% in viewership from Week 17 last year (STL/SEA: 11.3, 19.357M), and up 57% and 69%, respectively, from Week 17 in 2009 (NYJ/CIN: 10.0, 16.333M).
The game ranks as the most-viewed NFL regular season game on NBC since the network resumed coverage in the 2006-07 season. The previous high was 27.485 million for the 2010 Vikings/Saints NFL Kickoff Game.
In addition, the 15.7 rating is the third-best since NBC resumed coverage, behind Vikings/Saints (16.5) and this season’s Saints/Packers Kickoff Game (16.0).
Overall, Sunday’s game ranks as the most-viewed primetime NFL regular season game since the 1996-97 season (GB/DAL: 31.5M, ABC).
Not surprisingly, Sunday Night Football was the top primetime program of the week on broadcast in households, P2+ viewership and the adults 18-49 demographic (9.8). Of course, due to the various holidays, it was a slow week.
(Week 17 numbers from Media Life Magazine)
